LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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LMTED STATES OF AMERICA. 



SKETCHES OF LIFE 



•«I4^<^— 



NORTH CAROLINA 



Embracing Incidents and Narratives, and Personal 

Adventures of the Author during Forty 

years of travel. With an 

Appendix, in which 

The Papacy is shown from the Scriptures to be 

the great Anti-Christ ; and the false 

and corrupt system is 



exposed, > 



BY R^R^MICHAUX, 

Liberty, N. C. 




CULLER, N.C.: 

C. PHILLIPS, PlilNTE^. ^^ ^^ 

1894. it^-id)''^ 



f 



\ 



Entered, according to act of Congress, in the yeaf 1894, 

By R. R. Miciiaux, 

In the OflEice of the Librarian of Congress at 

Washington, D.C. 



i 



PREF.\CE. 

tr is known by many that the writer has had it in 
minrl for several years to write a book of sketches and 
incidents of his travels in North ('arolina, having seen 
both sides of life from the Bkie Ridge to the Atlantic 
coast, and of late a number of friends have asked, 
"where is the book yon were going to write." Well, 
here it is. It is not claimed to be a literary work, but the 
thoughts of the writer given in the best English he can 
command; and his aim is not to give a complete account 
of events, but to present subjects and incidents as mem- 
ory may bring them up for illustration ; and they are 
not fictions of the imagination, but facts drawn from 
real life. So these sketches will embrace a little of his- 
tory, geography, autobiography, &c. Humorous read- 
ers will find amusement in a number of incidents relat- 
ed. Dr. Talmage says all healtny people laugh, but if 
any are too pious to laugh, or whose liver is out of 
order, they need not read the book. But it will con- 
tain many wholesome and instructive truths, which 
will bear criticism in the light of the Scriptures, But 
yet it may not escape criticism, for the purest Being 
who ever walked this earth was hated, and finally put 
to death, for speaking the truth ; and all those who 
follow his example will offend those who do not love 
the truth 

I cannot promise, as did a N. Carolina author, who 
some years ago wrote a poem abounding in strong 
satire. In his introduction he said : 

"Fair ladies, never, never fear : 
God bless your souls, I love you dear : 
Therefore I'll spare you all 1 can, 
And mostly try my lack with man." 



But in the course of the poem he made some reflec- 
tions on the fair sex, and, recollecting himself, imme- 
diately apologized, saying; 

''Then be at ease, take no affright, 

For fear you'll burst, you're laced so tight." 

But my motto is, to "shoot folly as it flies," whether 
it flies high or low, "sparing neither age, sex or color," 
"What I have written I have written," and so submit it 
to one and all, hoping that the Author of all truth will 
make it useful to some. 

The Author. 



CorLterLts. 

Page, 

CHAPTER 1 

Introductory. 

CHAPTER II 13 

Retrospection— Emigration to North Carolina — 
Early Experiences— Schools and School 
Masters, &c. 

CHAPTER III 31 

The Darkey as I have seen him in North Caro» 
lina— His ruling traits and his religious chur- 
acter— Some noted ones. 

CHAPTER IV 33 

Preachers and preaching— Some preachers of a 
generation ago— Funt^ral preaching — Anec- 
dotes of preachers — Self conceit. 

CHAPTER V 43 

Illiteracy— The Bible, and mistakes about what 
is in it— A remarkable Bible reader— Home- 
made Scripture— Misquotations and perver- 
sions of the word. 

CHAPTER YI 54 

Superstition- Belief in Witches— Conjuration- 
Spells, &c.— Other humbugs. 

CHAPTER Vir • Gj 

Religious denominations in N. C— Camp Meet- 
ings — Some differences between Eastern and 
Western N. Carolina— Anecdotes of preachers. 



CHAPTER VIII 78 

IInsj)iialiiy— I»H-idents illustrating character — 
Sunui contrasts— Dogs in JN". Carolina — The 
dog at churcli. 

CIIAPTEK IX 86 

lioniance in real life illustrated — Some Teniper- 
.ance stories wliicli illustrate the cause of 
Strong Drink— Some cases beyond the reach of 
Keeley. 

CHAPTE R X 92 

Marriages in N'orth Carolina— Laws and custon s 
con(-er:iing it defective — Primitive marriages 
more rational —The clergy officiating on such 
occasions a reh"c of Romanism. 

CHAPTER XI 97 

Marriage itself— Some comments and suggestions 
— Some ilkistrations. 

CHAPTER XII 107 

The public roads in North Carolina — How some 
people give <lirections to travelers — Quaint 
names of some localities — Some personal ad- 
ventures, and curious characters met with. 

CHAPTER XIII 118 

Some other curious characters and things noted 
— Lile, and how they live, in the two extreme 
sections of North Carolina, contrasted. 

CHAPTER XIV 131 

Lost in a mountain gorge, in a pitch dark rainy 
night — A preacher in an awkward predica- 
ment — More personal experience — An extra- 
ordinary "Fish Story," &c. 

CHATTER XV 143 

Some experiences in the mountains about the 



close of the war— Kvading a controversy— In- 
cidents of the Prohibition cam[)aign of 1881. 

CHAPTER XVI l-)a 

The status of Christianity in N. C— Ilow far, as 
a people, are wh ( hrisiianized ? — The optimis- 
tic and the pessimistic of things. 

CHAPTER XVII 161 

Hindrances to the advancement of Christianity 
in our own country — Tlie follies and vices of 
society at the present day. 
APPENDIX. 

CHAPTER 1 184 

The Romish hierarchy identified as the great 
Anti Christ of Revelation— The whole system 
shown from the Scriptures to he false — Its in- 
tolerance and persecutions. 

CHAPTER II 213 

Romanism in our own country — More light 
turned on the subject — The pope in our poli- 
tics — No real Catholic can be a true citizen of 
our Republic — Some historical facts showing 
the influence of Romanism over the United 
States Government. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 

IgpiHE sentiment of the homeless one that "there 
^^ is no place like home," is not only signifi- 
cant of the fact that we generally appreciate what 
we are deprived of, but that there is a dispisition 
to be attached to the place of our nativity. Per- 
haps Phrenologists willclaim that this is proven 
by the bump on the human skull they call "in- 
habitativeness;" and while it is common for people 
to emigrate in order to find a better country, 
those who have this organ largely developed had 
better not remove from the place of their nativity, 
or their experience may be like others who, after 
emigrating to another country, becoming discon- 
tented, have made their vvay back to their old 
neighborhood to remain the rest of their days.. 
This peculiar disposition is developed in the his- 
tory of the Jews, who, in their captivity in a 
strange land, "wept when they reniimbared Zion," 
saying, "If I forget thee, 0, Jerusalem, let my 
right-hand forget her cunning;" and doubtless 
they never will be satisfied until, according to their 
faith, they shall return to their own Jerusalem. 
. And this sentiment is echoed from every counr 
try where they sing in the praises of their native 
laud. In our own country it is "Hail Columbia;*' 
''Yankee Doodle," ia the North, and "Dixie," in^ 



10 SKETCHES OF LIFE 



the South, while in North Carolina it is, *'Hur- 
rah for the Old North State forever." 

As this trait is so general, it is hard to find one 
who will write impartial history, and not be prej- 
udiced in favor of his own, or agaiiist another 
g3ction. Even if people live in the poorest or 
meanest locality, they will suffer no disparage n en t 
of it, and will not suffer the truth to be told abo.^t 
it. Perhaps niiny will remember the sketches 
by "Porte Crayon," in Harper's Magazine, years 
ago, entitled "N. Carolina Illustrated," and how 
the press of the State criticized them ; yet his 
eketches were generally drawn from real life, 
though he generally gave the ludicrous side of it. 
Those who have traveled in Eastern N. Carolina 
will recognize the naturalness of the scene of "Our 
Sal," represented by a bare-footed maiden, just re- 
turned from bringing home the cows, riding bare- 
back on a mule, and at the door of a pinj-vvoods 
cabin, while near by is the well with the sweep, 
and the cypress- knee bucket, and in the rear a 
few slim fodder stacks. 

The tourists who travel over N. Carolina on the 
great thoroughfares, viewing the best residences, 
seeing and conversing with a few of the most 
prominent citizens, and visiting the watering 
places, get only a one- sided view of the social life 
of the people. So it is that much of history will 



/.V NORTH CAROLINA 11 

be one-sided. And although orators. North and 
South, may descant on fraternity, union, &c., 
doubtless sectionalism will continue to exist more 
or less until the millenium. In this connection I 
will state that the people in the Western section 
of the State regard the Albemarle region as a 
very sickly region ; but let one travei over the 
lowlands there, and he will hardly be able to find 
the sickly place. And he will find some that will 
rather resent the imputation that they have chills 
and fever down there. Perhaps some may ask 
if the writer is an exception to the rule laid down 
above, and may inquire, "where were you born, 
Sir?" Well, of course, I was born somewhere, 
and though present on the occasion, could not 
help being born just where I was, and if ques- 
tioned closely might be found to sympathize with 
the darkey away down South, as he sings, "0, 
carry me back to Old Virginny." But after all, 
my purpose is to 

*'Seize upon truth where'er 'tis found, 
On Christian or on heathen ground." 

ignoring sectionalism and sectarianism, and invit- 
ing one and all of my readers to bring every moral 
sentiment advanced to the test of the scriptures, 
by which all character and conduct is to be 
measured. 



13 SKhTCUES OF LIFE 

CHAPTER II, 

Retrospection— Emigration lo North Carolina— Early 
Experiences — Schools and School Masters, &c. 

P^PROM my introductory it will be understood 
^|g| that I did not first see the light in North 
Carolina. I came here in my boyhood, and have 
spent most of my life here. Although more than 
half a century has passed, my recollection is vivid 
of my starting from Old Virginia, which was my 
first experience in traveling alone, the journey 
being by stage coach to the little village of Dan- 
ville, then a horseback ride to Guilford county, 
stopping for the night at a country inn, the same 
house now standing in the midst of Reidsville. • 
Considering the advancement made here luring 
the half- century, in education, &n„ the question 
may arise as to whether there has been a corres- 
ponding advancement in the moral and religious 
life of the people. This is doubtful, and if peo- 
ple are better now than in the former days, it is 
certain that they have not as much confidence in 
the integrity of each other, as in former days. 
Perhaps there may be a larger per centage of the 
population that are members of some church, but 
doubtless there is more of the world in the church' 
now than any of ns ever knew before, and perhaps 
)t is harder to enforce church disipline; and it 



/iV NORTH CAROLINA 13 

seems that the record of to-day shows more cor- 
ruption in politics, financial affairs, and social 
life than in the past; and it is fearful to think 
of the record cf crime in our State during a single 
year, while it is no better, but worsf, in some 
other States. In the good old days of revival and 
camp meetings, people generally began a religious 
life by getting down on their knees and praying 
for mercy, but now it is rather the style to walk 
up and give the preacher the hand, and so be 
counted as a convert. Perhaps it may be said 
that old styles have changed, but the style of re- 
pentance and faith was not intended to change, 
and the handshaking may fail to shake up people 
as they have need to be shaken, I am not much 
of an optimist, my experience and knowledge 
of people forbidding it; I simply believe those to 
be good who practice goodness, which is in agree- 
ment with the scriptural declaration, that "he 
that doeth righteousness is righteous." 

On reaching North Carolina, one novel sight. to 
me was a Quaker, and it was not long before I 
had an opportunity of attending one of their silent 
meetings. While they all sat with bowed heads^ 
the men with their hats on, not one looking back 
to see others who were coming in, I was a little 
frisky on my seal, and peeping around to see 
what could be seen, I caused the "Spirit" to move 



14 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

one old Elder to get up and reproved "some young 
people who didn't behave very well," But the 
old style Quaker seems to be passing away, and 
giving place to a class who have gotten out of the 
old ruts, many of them having dropped the old 
garb, and their silent meetings changed into the 
exercises of singing, exhortation, &c.; and I learn 
that at their Yearly Meeting last year, a move 
was made to introduce vocal and instrumental 
music into their N. C. College. 

Another new thing to me was a woman in the 
pulpit, which now is not so much of a novelty. 
And she is still moving towards the front, and 
perhaps will "get there" before long. In fact she 
seems to be occupying the position assigned her 
by a popular speaker not long ago, that although 
the man is the head, "the woman is the neck that 
turns the head about." 

Since forty years ago many changes have taken 
place in the habits and social life of the people. 
The Negro trader was a noted character in those 
days. Richmond, Va., was the great slave mar- 
ket, and after gathering a drove of slaves, men, 
women and children, the trader w^ould pass along 
with his caravan the great highway leading 
South, the Danville and Salisbury road, the able- 
bodied slaves being on foot, and while the futu:e 
tvas so dark to them, they would often raise their 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 15 

voices in song as they passed along. But the 
sword came upon our land, and slavery has be- 
come a thing of the past, and the memory of tho^^e 
past scenes seems like a dream. How strange it 
was that the love of gain so blinded the minds 
of men, that they would undertake to establish, 
by the Scriptures, the moral right to buy and sell 
another man, whom God had made a moral agent, 
and responsible to him. 

And what a change has taken place in schools, 
and the methods of teaching. The schools in 
those days were known as "loud schools," the 
scholars being required to repeat their lessons 
aloud while memorizing them ; and when so en- 
gaged there would be a perfect babel-jargon of 
voices. The process of learning to read and 
write was a slow one, the scholar being required 
to spell through the book several times, then go 
through a course of easy reading, and then begin 
the process of writing, by first making straight 
marks and "pot hooks." The goose-quill pen 
was the only one in use then, which would be a 
curiosity in the school of to-day, though not en- 
tirely obsolete. Perhaps I might be regarded as 
a specimen of the "old fogy," when I state that 
the whole manuscript of this book was written 
with a quill pen, of my own make, which suited 
my purpose better than a steel pen. 



16 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

As to school discipline, the mildest form was 
the "dunce block;" but the switch was regarded 
as indispensible, and was doubtless in many cases 
a better persuader than "moral suasion," though 
eotne school reformers advocate "'moral suasion" 
only; but it is doubtful if they are any wiser than 
Solomon, who, in the book of Proverbs, recom- 
mends "the rod" as well as reproof, as a means 
of correction. 

To give an idea of some of the schools of those 
past years, I remember that on one occasion a 
man applied for the position of teacher of a free 
Bchool, when it was necessary to have a certificate 
of "good moral character," but he being of rather 
dissipated habits, there was some difficulty in his 
case; but finally he found one who gave him a 
certificate of "good moral character during school 
hours ;" so he was employed, and a notice was put 
up for the school to commence, as follows: 

"Notis. The free Scule in district no will 

commence on the day of 184 — , and we 

the comity certify that we have implowed 

to tech sadti Scule." ] 

I Comity. 



I spent the winter of 1842 in one of the conn- 
ties west of the Blue Ridge, and concluded to 
make up a little school, which was my first at- 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 17 

tempt in that line. In that day, a man was 
regarded as competent to teach school, if he could 
"read, write and cipher." I met with a young 
man in the neighborhood who aspired to teach 
also, and he put me through a kind of examina- 
tion, giving me some of his hard questions, his 
hardest being a sum in the Double Rule of Three, 
which I readily worked, and so my reputation 
was established. I commenced teaching, having 
scholars ranging from the little tow-headed ur- 
chin to the grown up boy and girl. I had the 
old-style rules to govern the school, but exercised 
but little moral influence over it, for the reason 
that I was not moral enough to do so. 

I will not undertake to give an account of the 
morals prevailing there at that time, but will 
note a few incidents, by way of illustration. A 
little while after the school had gotten under 
way, among the day scholars there came a full 
grown young woman tvho, after school was dis- 
missed, wished me to go home with her, which I 
was too bashtul to do, but promised to go the 
next evening, which I did, and found that her 
whole object in coming to school that one day, 
was to get me to go to her home and write a 
love-letter for her to her sweetheart, who was a 
rowdy fellow, and who was in jail at that time. 



18 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

I wrote the letter as she dictated it, and it certain- 
ly was a most gushing affair. 

As the Christmas holidays began to draw near, 
it was talked around that the usual custom of 
"turning out" the school master was to be carried 
out, and when the crisis came I gave in and 
accepted the terms decided on, which was a treat 
of half a gallon of brandy for an eggnog, as my 
views on the liquor question were not so decided 
as in after years. But the eggnog was rather a 
failure as the eggs, could not be had ; but the. 
brandy and the milk were put into a kettle, and. 
put on the fire, and a kind of a stew was made 
that couldn't exactly be named, and it was thus 
dealt out to the crowd. During the school I 
spent several nights visiting the patrons of the 
school, the entertainment around the roaring log 
fire being that of eating chestnuts and listening, 
to the girls sing the old time love songs. 

During my sojourn there I heard no preaciiing. 
but that of the Hard Shell Baptists, and not 
much of that. The first sermon I heard at any 
church there made an impression. The regular 
preacher failed to a])pear, and an old neighbor- 
hood pieacher was put in as a substitute. It was 
in tlie month of December, I think, and the port-, 
ly old fellow aro.se, and taking of! his jeans coat,., 
and hanging it up in the pulpit behind him, and, 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 19 

making some apologies, said, '•! will now try to 
preach to yon, notwithstanding my illability, and 
no countness," and then he went at it like kill- 
ing snakes. 

Before leaving that section of country, I had 
another glimpse of social life, at a marriage which 
came off not far away. On the evening of the 
marriage, among the company that gathered, was 
a Hard Shell preacher, who was to be master of 
ceremonies, and while the preliminaries were be- 
ing arranged, some one gave the signal that a 
little private entertainment was to be had, a little 
way down in the woods, and I followed the crowd, 
the parson being among them, and soun a jng of 
liquor was hauled out from under a log and was 
passed around, the preacher taking a hand also, 
as if he was used to it. 

The wedding itself was not a very elaborate 
affair, the parents of the bride living in a one- 
room log house, one corner of which served for 
the "bridal chamber," and another for the sleep- 
ing apartment of the parents of the bride, while 
guests spent the night around the fireside in a 
kind of frolic, being led by a noted singer of love 
songs. Some of the incidents of the evening are 
rather too ludicrous to record. Some years after- 
ward I met pol. G., a member of the legislature 
from that place, and I had it from his Own mouth 



20 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

that there were living m that section two married 
conples, who were mutually dissatisfied with each 
other, not finding their affinities, as some put it, 
and that the two men actually "swapped wives," 
one giving the other "two barrels of corn to boot." 
In those days it was customary for the women 
to attend public gatherings, such as elections, 
musters, and even hangings. It didn't take as 
much to "rig up" a girl then as it does now. It 
required no "Saratoga trunk" to contain her 
wardrobe; perhaps a calico dress, and shoes for a 
rarity, and jewelry, consisting, perhaps, of a single 
brass ring; and the matter of putting on the 
paint was simple and inexpensive. Having pre- 
pared the material beforehand, consisting of cot- 
ton rags soaked in pokeberry juice and dried, 
when needed it would simply be necessary to 
moisten a little and apply it to the cheeks. Now 
about noon at such gatherings a young fellow 
would take his "best girl" up to a cart where 
cakes and cider were to be had, and treat her, and 
Boon, with a large cake of gingerbread and a mug 
of cider, she would seem to enjoy the occasion 
finely. Then would come on the dance. Havmg 
selected a suitable place in the grove, and about a 
fifth rate fiddler taking his stand, some would 
enter the contest for the championship, two dan- 
cers at a time, competing one with the other, 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 21 

while near by a squad of white and colored 
mixed, would engage in playing marbles. Later 
on, the fisticuffs would be in order, and under 
such circumstances, we may suppose, somebody 
"struck Billy Patterson." 




CHAPTER III. 

The Darkey as I have seen him in North Carolina— 
His ruling traits, and his religious character- 
Some noted ones. 

;N anonymous writer, about the time of the 
civil war, took the position that the negro 
does not belong to Adam's race, and that he went 
into the ark with Noah as an animal, &c. This 
ridiculous theory is based on the supposition that 
God created another race of human beings besides 
Adam and Eve, and to support such an idea, it is 
claimed that, according to the Bible, at the time 
that Cain killed Abel there were only Adam and 
Eve, and Cain and Abel, in the world, and that 
on reaching the land of Nod Cain saw, or found, 
his wife, which is a palpable blunder. The lan- 
guage of scripture in this connection implies that 
Cain carried his wife with him to the land of Nod, 
and of course she must have been a daughter 



22 SKhTCUES OF LIFE 

of Adam. Bible history says, "Two of the chil- 
dren of Adam and Eve are alone mentioned — Cain 
and Abel. Not that there were no others, but 
that the progress of scripture history is connected 
with these two. For the Bible does not profess 
to give a detailed history of the world, nor even a 
complete biography of those persons whom it 
introduces. Its object is to set before us a history 
of the Kingdom of God, and it only describes 
8uch persons and events as are necessary for that 
purpose." The record is that after Cain and 
Abel wert grown up, "in process of time," they 
went down to the field, when Cain killed his 
brother. It might have been forty years, a suffi- 
cient time for Adam to have had a number of 
grown-up daughters. Besides this, as a proof that 
the negro is of Adam's race, he is by nature, in 
moral character, depraved, like the white race, 
and simply commits the same kind of sins they 
are guilty of. 

While the Anglo Saxon race has been perplexed 
in regard to the origin of the negro, he himself 
seems but little concerned about it. It is related 
that soon after the war a North Carolina preacher 
of rather peculiar mental caliber wrote out a 
lecture on the origin of the negro for publication, 
but first wished to deliver it in his own vicinity, 
in order to get the opinion of his friends in regard 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 23 



to it, and made an appointment accordingly. In 
the afternoon before the night of the lecture l.e 
went into his cotton field, where the following di- 
alogue is said to have taken place between him 
and one of his negro tenants. "Well, Sam, are 
yon going to the lecture tonight ?" "What lecture, 
sir?" "My lecture, I am going to deliver to- 
night." "i dunno, sir; what's it about?" "It's 
on the negro, showing where he came from." 
"Well, I dunno as I keer so much 'bout where I 
cum from, but I'd like to know sumthin 'bout 
whar I'm gwine to, sir." 

' Very recently a noted newspaper correspondent 
wrote an article in regard to the negro race in 
the South, implying that they had a natural pro- 
pensity to theft ; and his article was replied to by 
an African bishop, who made a telling remark in 
that connection. He said, "A white man will 
steal more at one grab than a darkey will in forty 
years." After all, the negro race seems to be tht^ 
most religious of any in the world, and he falls 
into the exercises of singing and praying, &c.,' 
throwing himself into it with all the enthusiasm' 
that he did in the old time corn songs and the 
dance. A promment Methodist D. D., who trav- 
eled in the South on a tour of observation, turn- 
ing his attention particularly to the colored race^' 
after much observation said, "It seems to me thkt 



24 SKETOHES OF LIFE 

the negro has taken to religion as a matter of 
amusement, in place of his former employment of 
banjo playing, singing and dancing." 

Here I will say, from my own observation, that 
he accepts of the Christian faith without ques- 
tioning it, and in all my travels I never remember 
to have met with a deistical or infidel negro. The 
surroundings of the race, when the war was over, 
wre favorable for the cultivation of superstition 
and fanaticism ; and so the trance was not un- 
common among them. During their religious 
exercises they would fall prostrate, and remain 
for hours, apparently in an unconscious state, 
and on recovering from it would tell most won- 
derful tales about going to heaven, and hell, and 
what they saw there. Some of those people, in 
reporting their trip to heaven and what they saw 
there, don't exactly agree with the Bible account 
of that heavenly country, and the nature of celes- 
tial things. It is reported that one fellow after 
coming out of his trance, and telling of what he 
saw in heaven, said he "saw a great big clock 
Bettin up in de corner," and a woman standing 
by said, "dats de trufe, for I seed it myself when 
I was dar." 

It was related that another woman, after her 
trance, and telling of her trip to heaven, said^ 
when she reached there they "set her down to 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 25 

Slipper ;" and telling ab out the cake that was on 
the table, said, *"OId Mistiss used to make mighty 
g07d cake, but it vvasen't nothin at all to de cake 
M^issa Jesus give me; and I eat cake, and I. eat 
cake, and 'twas so good I was 'bliged to. take a 
piece and slip it in my bosom." The last expres- 
sion indicates "the ruling passion strong", in 
heaven. Again, it was related that in one of their 
meetings a young girl had been lying prostrate, 
and apparently insensible, and while a number 
were gathered around her, the preacher among 
them with the Bible in hand, she began to revive, 
and made an effort to rise, when the preacher, 
slamming the Bible down on her, said, **Lie dar 
till Jesus tell you ter git up." 

I do not undertake to explain the phenomena 
of the trance, but if it was not hypocritical it 
might be called a kind of hallucination ; or was 
it an epidemic ? It was. not more extraordinary 
than what was called "the jerks," which prevail- 
ed in this country, among the Methodists, many 
years ago, and which appeared to be a contagious 
thing, seizing both saint and sinner. 

One thmg I am satisfied of, that all such phys-. 
ical demonstrations in religion do not indicate, 
any advanced state of morals or spirituality. One 
thing I will say in this connection, that the col- 
ored race are unsurpassed in congregational sing- 



US SKETCHES OF LIFE 



ing. They don't produce any scientific music, or 
come up to the standard of fashionable 8in2:ing, 
but they sing with a vim and with enthusiasm, 
and whatever onr opinion may be in regard to 
their religion, \^i one draw near to their worship- 
ing assembly and listen to the full chorus of 
voices, as in full accord it swells out upon the 
evening air, and if there is anything like devotion 
in him he will be moved in sympathy with them. 
And what attention they give to the preacher ; 
And the responses they give during the sermon, 
fjuch as **that*8 so," "yes, yes," "listen, listen;"' 
while others sway their bodies to and fro, bowing 
their heads nearly to the floor, and keeping up a' 
kind of moan, with audible expressions of "yes, 
Lord," &c. 

' One fact may be here stated, that perhaps none 
will deny, that the colored church members give 
more in support of their religion, in proportion 
to their means, than the whites do. They have 
tlieir church entertainments, festivals, Ac, in 
order to raise money for church purposes. I will 
give a novel method which they put in practice 
in our town the past season. They appointed an 
entertainment to come off at their meeting house, 
putting the price of admittance at ten cents. The 
entertainment consisted of a live rabbit being 
turned loose in the house, after closing the doors, 



IN NORTH CAROLINA ^ 

one dollar being the prize offered to the one who 
should catch it ; and we may imagine what a 
scramble there was after it, by the darkies of that 
congregation. 

I had a very good opportunity of seeing the 
darkey, as he is in North Carolina, while can- 
vassing in the eastern counties of the State, in the 
work of the American Bible Society, and I can 
say that, with the exception of a few of the mean- 
est specimens I found about Weidon and Halifax, 
I generally found them kind and respectful to 
the stranger. Sometimes I would come across 
one who wished to know my name, and instead 
of using the old stereotype phrase of "what might 
your name be?" he would ask, "what is your 
entitlement, sir ?'* 

I met with one in Hertford county whose mem- 
ory I wish to perpetuate, as a bright example of 
hospitality. It was in the month of June, and 
about noon that I found myself in a settlement 
of well-to-do colored people, and halting near a 
respectable looking dwelling, had called and got- 
ten some horse feed and returned to my buggy. 
I had given out the idea of getting any dinner, as 
there was no white settler near. By this time the 
man of the house had returned from the field, 
and came out to me, whom I found to be a pleas- . 
ant looking, copper colored man, and he insisted . 



SKETCHES OF LIFE 



on carrying my horse into his lot to feed him ; 
and having done so, he invited me into his house. 
By this time dinner was on hand, and what I 
called a good dinner, too, of bacon and cabbage, 
good corn pone, milk, &c. I was invited \o par- 
take of it ; but here a question arose. Of course, 
I could not expect a whole family to abandon 
their own table to be monopolized by a single 
stranger, whose skin was not much whiter than 
theirs. Then came the query, "are you going to 
eit down and eat with the darkies?" But the 
question 1 was settled by my emj^ty stomach which 
refused to : recognize the color line ; and I sat 
down aad enjoyed that dinner. After dinner, 
on.fixingup to start, my host refused tb have 
anything for what he had done for me. On ask- 
ing him his name, he said it was Wright HoUoman. 
Yes, said. ly: that's your name; it's not Wrong 
Hollomattj at all; iind I took leave of him with 
pleasan-t thoughts. . I met with him afterward 
and learned, that he was a member of the Baptist 
church, and doubtless his name was written in 
heaven. i - i» 

Some of the. politest darkies I ever knew were 
found in the region of the Albemarle Sound, 
whose masters had tried to teach them good man- 
ners. Sometimes I have passed squads of them 
working in the cotton field, by the road-side, anl 



/iV NORTH CAROLINA 29 



they would take off their hats, making a bow, 
and ask, *^how do you do to-day, sir ?" A friend 
of mine who lived down in that region had a 
young fellow as black as a mink, who will serve 
as a good example. He was a house servant, and 
his master's house was the preacher's home when 
he was in the vicinity. The boy having waited 
on the preacher faithfully for some time, Christ- 
mas morning found him there, and thinkmg it a 
proper time to make the servant a little present, 
when he came into his room he took out a small 
coin and offered it to him, but he, stepping back, 
spreadingmit his hands, and making a low bow 
said, "No, I thank you, sir, I can't take it; not 
at all, sir; I can't take money from a preacher, 
sir; wish I had something to give you, sir." 
There was one very notable character among the 
colored race here, whom I had the opportunity 
of.being particularly acquainted with. He was 
peculiar and stood almost alone among his felloWs;- 
in that he lived to be an old man, and died un- 
married. Who can remember another old bache- 
lor negro ? He was known as "Uncle Lige," was 
9 full-blooded African, and lived and died iri 
Guilford county. .He was most remarkable as aT 
religious character. Before the war he was a 
slave of Rev. \V. J. Ogburn, who in his earlier 
years had taught him to read. He was a member 



so SKETCHES OF LIFE 

of the church at Flat Rock, and after the war did 
not leave it to join any of the colored church 
organizations. He was a habitual Bible reader, 
and was deep in religious experience, and was 
most gifted and powerful in prayer. On occa- 
sions of religious services in the church he would 
occasionally be called upon to make public prayer, 
and a prominent minister, who was pastor of that 
qhurch, said that "Uncle Lige" was one of the 
ablest men in prayer he ever knew, white or 
colored. 

^ He was by no means popular with the neigh- 
boring darkies, for he would not engage in their 

• frolics or spend the Sabbath in idleness or in 
'violation of the holy day, but he was esteemed by 

the best class of white people, and often spent the 
Sabbath in visiting them, and engaging in relig- 
ious conversation. He did not offer to sermonize 

* or make public addresses, or to gather a congre^ 
gation of white or colored, but acted rather as a 
neighborhood missionary, attending prayer meet- 

'ings and seeking religious conversation with in- 
dividuals, and especially with young men ; and 
he had his converts among them. The first 
religious services I ever engaged in I was prompt- 
ed to it by "Uncle Lige," and several other 
ministers, now living, professed religion under. 
Iiis influence. 



TN NORTH CAROLINA 31 



But certainly the most noted and truly great, 
full-blooded African ever born in North Carolina 
has recently died. This was Rev. J. C. Price, 
D. D., President of Livingstone College for the 
colored race, at Salisbury. At the close of the 
civil war he was a lad of some eight or ten years. 
He attended the Shaw University at Raleigh, and 
professed religion while a student there, and con- 
tinuing his education was ordained to the minis- 
try of the M. E. Zion Church. His extraordinary 
gifts being recognized, he was elected to their 
General Conference and also sent as a delegate to 
the Ecumenical Council in London in 1881, and 
there his efforts laid the foundation for Living- 
stone College. Few persons of any race ever rose 
to a higher eminence in so short a time, for he 
was under forty years of age when he died. 

The first and only time I ever saw J. C. Price 
was during the Prohibition campaign in N. C. ifi 
1881, when he made an address in the court-house 
at Louisburg. I had never heard of such a man 
as Price, and going in I found him addressing a 
small audience. There he stood, as black as a 
crow, in contrast with the white wall behind him, 
pouring out words of eloquence and logic. My 
first impression was that he was employed by the 
prohibitionists, and was simply letting off a bor- 
rowed and memorized speech ; but that idea w^ 



82 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

wide of the mark, and I found out afterward that 
he was in his native element. One fact in hi» 
history stamps him as a great man in the truest 
sense. While he was struggling with obstacieSj^ 
in his efforts to establish an institution of learn- 
ing for the benefit of his race, and needed money, 
the President of the United Statei tendered him 
an office of honor and profit; but he declined it, 
simply saying, "I think I can do more good at 
Salisbury." Where is the man of any color, in 
North Carolina, who would, under the same cir- 
cumstances, have made such a self-denying sac- 
rifice ? 



CHAPTER lY. 

Preachers and preaching— Some preachers of a genera- 
tion ago— Funeral preaching — Anecdotes of 
preachers— Self conceit. 

:HILE the Episcopalians and Presbyterians 
H^ in the past required a classical education, 
in order to enter the ministry, some of the other 
I^'-ading denominations of the .State were on the 
ether extreme, and admitted men to preach who 
were unable to read and pronounce correctly the 
^vordg in the common English Bible. But much 




IN NORTH CAROLINA 33 



advancement has been made in ministerial educa- 
tion in later years. I once heard a regular camp 
meeting preacher say that Zaccheus "dim up into 
the sycamore tree, and the Lord saw him and 
told him to came down." And another preacher 
opened his prayer in the following language : "0 
thou sweet Soi:gster of Israel ;" and the same 
preacher, on a funeral occasion, uttered, perhaps, 
the queerest sentence a preacher ever did. He 
said, "we have met on this occasion to pour out 
the balance of the milk of human kindness over 
the remains of a departed Irother." 

I will state here that a funeral in N. Carolina 
does not necessarily mean a burial. It has been, 
and is now the custom, to have a discourse in 
memory of the deceased delivered, in numbers o^ 
cases, several years after the burial. Years ago 
in the mountain region I attended the preaching 
of a whole family's funeral, some of whom had 
been buried about fourteen years. This custom 
results in much inconvenience, as the favorite 
preacher chosen for the occasion is often not within 
reach, and the services, when they take place 
interfere with other arrangements, many times. 
What a sight it is to see a widower with crape on 
his hat, mourning for his deceased wife, and try- 
ing to make arrangements for her funeral, while 
his arrangements are already made to marry an- 



84 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

other wife, and, hAng disappointed about the 
funeral, marries first and afterward carries his 
new wife to the funeral ot the other. Query : can 
any example be found in the scriptures or the early 
church, of a modern funeral, or the putting on 
of black, for such an occasion ? And ought there 
not to be a reformation in these things, especially 
in that of the fashionable fun^-rals in the cities, 
which are such a burden on families of limited 
means, who try toi mitate the rich ? 

As to the sermons of the class of preachers 
referred to above, of course there is not much 
connection between the text and the sermon. On 
one occasion one of these preachers discoursed at 
a camp meeting, and not being present, I asked a 
ministerial friend how he preached, and he re- 
plied; "he had three grand divisions of his subject; 
first, he took his text, secondly, he went away from 
it, and thirdly, he never came back to it any 
more." 

I believe the poorest thing to be called a ser- 
mon I ever did hear, was just after the surrender, 
up in the mountains, from a man who had been 
a refugee during the war, and had lately returned 
to his home. lie read for his text 1 John 4:19. 
His firstly was a description of the state of things 
before the war came on, "when we were permitted 
to sit under our own vine and fig tree, and wor- 



I]V NORTH CAROLINA 35 

ship God according to the dictates of our own 
consciences," &c., and he concluded his firstly 
with his text, Therefore, &c. Then, ^'secondly, 
this cruel war came on, ah, and fathers, sons, and 
brothers had to part from loved ones and go to 
the field of battle, ah, and the cannon balls a 
flyin and the bomb shells aburstin, ah, and what 
a time of sufferin it was, ah, Therefore, &c." 
"Thirdly ; this cruel war is over at last, ah, and 
peace prevails in our land, and the flag of the 
Union vvaves over our country, ah, and we are 
permitted to return to our homes, and meet here 
tonight, and worship together as friends and 
n-eighbors, ah. Therefore, &c." If the preacher 
gave a single idea on his text besides what is 
noted here, I would like for the ministerial broth- 
er Avho was present with me on that occasion to 
speak out and say what it was. 

Some preachers seem to take a pride in select- 
ing strange and quaint texts to discourse from, 
which they undertake to spiritualize and make 
application of. A case was given me some years 
ago, of a preacher who took for his text the words 
found in Judges 7:20, "Break your pitchers," 
and he compared the hidden lights in the pitchers 
of Gideon's men, to the obscured lights of profess- 
ing Christians ; and he went on to show that one 
had thf pitcher of this thing, and another the 



SKETCHES OF LIFE 



pitcher of that ; and he specified one class as hav- 
ing the pitcher of covetonsness and stinginess, so 
that they would not come up to their duty in 
giving, «&c.; and the preacher wound up by an 
exhortation to "break their pitchers," when a 
colored brother arose, and advanced to the table 
in front of the pulpit, and laying down a nickel 
he said, "Here I breaks my pitcher now." This 
was making a practical application of the subject. 
Perhaps the surroundings of the preacher have 
a tendency to encourage spiritual pride. Every 
grade of preachers have their admirers, who will 
flatter them to their faces, while those who criti- 
cise them adversely do so generally behind their 
backs, so that they cannot know what the average 
opinion of their qualifications really is. Besides 
this, perhaps the average hearer admires that kind 
of preaching which is on the pathetic order, 
rather than that which searches the conscience. 
How often it is that after a preacher has deliv- 
ered what is simply an exhortation, some good 
brother will approach him, saying, "That's one 
of the best sermons I ever heard." This is well 
calculated to tempt a young preacher to think 
"more highly of himself than he ought to think,'' 
and if he is inclined to egotism we may look for a 
pretty well developed case of whnt the old preach- 
tre used to call "the big head." Sometimes preach- 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 87 

ers of age and experience manifest this weakness. 

I have a case in mind now. Years ago a young 

man, not a professing Christian, attended a camp 

meeting, where a preacher of ability had preached, 

alter which a number of persons were among the 

seekers. The young man told me that shortly 

afterward he met with that preacher, and the 

conversation turned on the camp meeting, and 

when he told him that he was present and heard 

h'sseimon, the preacher said, "Well, didn't I 

slay 'em that evening ?" The old nursery rhyme 

may very properly come in here : 

Who killed Cock Robin ? 
I, said the sparrow. 
With my bow and arrow, 
I killed Cock Robin. 

But this kind of preachers sometimes meet 
with rebuffs. It is told that on one occasion a 
certain brother, a matter of fact kind of a man, 
went to hear a preacher, and after the services 
were over, as they rode off together, the preacher 
was vain enough to ask him what he thought of 
his sermon, and his reply was, "Well, I think per- 
haps T have heard better sermons than that in my 
life, and may be I have heard worse, but really I 
can't remember where it was." 

Some years ago several Conference preachers 
iand delegates stopped for the night at a roadside 
nn, kept by a preacher who was illiterate, with 



SKETCHES OF LIFE 



a plenty of self-conceit, tind after supper lie came 
into the room where his guests were, and laying 
his family Bible on the table, and opening it, said, 
"Now, gentlemen, if there is any passage in that 
book you want explained, just let me know, and 
I'il explain it to you." None made any reply 
until an old minister of intelligence spoke, and, 
addressing himself to the little company, asked 
if they knew where the passage occurs in the 
Bible saying of a certain character, that he 'Ms 
wiser in his own eyes than se\en men that can 
render a reason ?'' The application was easy 
to make. 

Years ago my recommendation for the c ure 
of self conceit was, a few weeks sojourn with 
Bro. J. S, N., of the Albemarle region. While 
he was ready to encourage young preachers, he 
was no flatterer of them. lie was no harsh critic, 
though intelligent and well informed. lie would 
put hard questions in order to draw the preacher 
out, and sometimes assume an opposite position 
in order to test his powers of argument. Some- 
times he would refer to a sermon just delivered, 
saying, "well, brother, you told us so and so 
to-day in your sermon, and I would like for you 
to prove it." 

I remember well how he used to take me 
.through, while I wus stationed in his vicinity. 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 39 



On one occasion, after delivering a discourse 
on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the 
following collo(iuy took place between us. "Well, 
brother, you told us to-day that there was a 'great 
gulf fixed' between the rich man and Lazarus, 
and tluit there could be no passing, &c." "Yes, 
sir," I replied. "Well," said he, "if that's so I'd 
like to know how you are going to get the rich 
man to judgment ?" I was silent under his scru- 
tinizing gaze, for a while, but escaped by saying 
that the scripture in question does not say that 
there is any "fixed gulf " between the rich man 
and judgiRcnt. 

But the strange thing about the self conceited 
man is that he is often quite popular. , One char- 
acter in the scriptures is represented as "giving 
out that himself was some great one," and they 
"all gave heed to him." And that is about the 
way it is now, and many well disposed people will 
take a pompous and self asserting man for what 
he assumes to be. 

A number of persons in recent years have 
turned up in N. Carolina, who professed to be 
preachers, but were real impostors, and might 
have been detected with very little trouble, but 
many suffered themselves imposed upon by theni. 
I remember that only a few years ago two young 
men of good address, and well dressed, appeared 



40 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

in Alamance Co. as teachers of vocal music, hail- 
ing, as they said, from Atlanta, Ga. They had 
their head quarters at one of the cotton mills on 
Haw River, and after being associated with the 
preachers in their meetings, one of them was 
licensed to preach. After awhile he turned his 
attention to a daughter of his landlady, who was 
a widow, and where there was a little money, and 
before long he married the daughter and carried 
her away with him to Texas. lie persuaded the 
mother also to follow him, and after getting in 
his posession what money she had, and spending 
it in dissipation, she and her family were gotten 
back to her former home in N. Carolina, at least 
'•wiser if not better" than they were before. In 
the mean time the impostor was prosecuted for 
bigamy and sentenced to nine years in the pen- 
itentiary. 

Some cases have also occurred here, of minis- 
ters well known and of fair standing, who have 
come to grief. And these good souls, how they 
are affected when their favorite preacher falls ! 
But this is all wrong. We should never fix our 
faith on any human being m such a way ms that 
their fall would damage us spiritually. But our 
motto should be : 

"On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand ;" 
"All other ground is sinking sand." 



IJY NORTH CAROIJNA 41 

No, our faith should never be dependent on any 
human character, but be based upon the Word 
of God. 

But it must not be understood that all the self 
conceit is confined to the ranks of the preachers, 
for the same class of people perhaps are to be 
found in every church. They seem to know ex- 
actly how to advise the preacher, and can tell 
him what and what not to preach ; in fact, they 
seem fully competent to run the church, and the 
preacher too, and perhaps sometimes do run 
him somewhere else. 

Sometime since I was rather startled on read- 
ing an article on the self conceited man, which I 
fliink is positively the severest thing of the kind 
ever put into print, and will give it here that the 
reader may judge for himself. 

"Grade Below the Fool. — It has been gen- 
erally thought that the fool is the lowest type of 
man. He creates the fewest expectations. In 
worthlessness there is nothing beyond a fool. 
Sf ch is the universal verdict concerning the fool. 
And this verdict we have always accepted as a 
finality, and acted upon it, in our dealings with 
mankind. Have we been correct in this ? Let 
the Bible answer. It comes to us as a surprise, 
for it clashes with the universal verdict. It asserts 
that the fool is not the ultimatum of the lower 



42 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

grades of humanity. He is not the most hopeless 
creature at large in society. There is one grade 
below him. There is a hopelessness that is more 
hopeless than his. There is a type of man that 
is more barren, and unworkable, and unpromis- 
ing. Tlie self conceited man is a lower type. 
*Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? There 
is more hope of a fool than of him/ This is se- 
vere on self conceit. It is as severe as it is possi- 
ble to be. It is positively startling. It is start- 
ling, because self conceit is a ruliiig passion with 
every tenth man we meet. Is every tenth man 
worse than a fool ?" 

From our reference to some preachers of past 
years it will be inferred that the standard of miii- 
isterial qualification was low ; but as low as it 
was, it was equal to the standard of ministerial 
support. Just to think of a preacher giving his 
whole time to the service of churches for a year, 
and receiving less than one hundred dollars sal- 
ary ! In those days a preacher had served a field 
of labor where he had received a very meager 
support, and about the close of the year, after 
preaching his farewell sermon, he called on a 
close-fisted old brother to lead in prayer, who 
prayed that the preacher might "have souls for 
bis hire." After services were over the preacher 
put to him the following question : "Brother, can 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 43 

a man live on souls? Can a man cat souls?" 
The Presbyterians m N. Carolina have adopted 
an honest rule in regard to ministerial support. 
They do not allow any church to have a new 
pastor while they are delinquent in paying their 
former pastor what they promised him. And why 
should not custom and public sentiment require 
tliat the same rule be applied in regard to the 
salary promised a preacher, as it is in the case 
of every other employee who renders service for 
specified wages? 



CHAPTER V. 



Illiteracy— The Bible, and mistakes about what is in it. 
—A remarkable Bible reader— Home-made Script- 
ure—Misquotations, and perversions of the word. 



^^^l^gLTHOUGH N. Carolina has had for years 
P^pl a State University, and free schools have 
been in operation for a generation or more, yet 
there is a large number of grown up men and 
women in every section of the State who are una- 
ble to read, I had a fair opportunity of getting 
the facts in the case in visiting from house to 
house for a number of years in the work of the 
American Bible Society; and, what was most re- 
markable, the largest per centage of families 
found destitute of the Bible was found in the 



44 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

territory bordering on the Capital of the State, 
while the sinallest per centage was found on the 
islands of Roanoke and Hatteras. In my canvass 
I could not tell how many grown np people asked 
me what kind of Bibles I had, and whether they 
were Baptist or Methodist Bibles; and one well 
to do farmer was particular to tell me that a 
Primitive Bible was the kind he wanted, meaning 
a Hard Shell one. During a number of years 
past the Bible canvass showed about one-fourth 
of the families destitute of the Scriptures. in 
eome families I found Bibles dated 1829, and 
some a little later, which were in a good state 
of preservation, showing that they had been but 
little used except for recording the ages, or strop- 
ping the razor or Sunday morning. 

Since the Kevised version of the Bible has been 
gotten out, much prejudice exists against it ; not 
because it is not as perfect a version as the King 
James Bible, but on account of a natural preju- 
dice in favor of what is old. They say the old 
Bible was sufficient to guide our fathers in the 
way to heavcn, and "The old time religion is good 
enough for me." On one occasion I called on a 
family who had no Bible, but the man said he 
wouldn't have anything to do with the new fash- 
ion Bibles, and after explaining to him that the 
Bible Society did not print the new version, and 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 45 

tbinking I had gotten him about right to buy a 
Bible, his wife glanced at the title page of one, 
and seeing the words, "diligently compared and 
revised," I couldn't get them to have anything 
more to do with it, and lefc them, thoroughly dis- 
gusted with such ignorance. 

In contrast with those who neglect Bible read- 
ing, I will mention one who was designated as a 
noted Bible reader, and who lies now in tho 
cemetery at Fair Grove Church, in Rockingham 
Co., having lived and died a member of that 
church. On the marble slab is inscribed the 
name of "Elijah Chilcutt," and the statement 
following that at the time of his death he "was 
engaged in reading the Bible through for the 
one hundred and twenty-second time." While 
the Bible is the standard of truth, people are 
inclined to interpret it to make it fit their own 
creed or belief, hence there are so many errors as 
to what it does teach. During the civil war 
some had their scripture for believing that the 
South would prevail, and quoted the prophet's 
words ; "I will drive back the Northern army," 
while one man, a Union man, believed the South 
would not prevail, and also quoted the words 
of the prophet; "Say ye not a Confederacy." But 
the cutest thing in the way of applying scripture 
to support political sentiment, I met with just 



SKfSTCHES OF LIFE 



after the surrender, while traveling in the moun- 
tains of N.O. I fell in with a mm who was 
denonncing secession, and he referred to the Drag- 
on menuoned in Rn-elation, who '-drew with his 
tail a third pirt of the stars of heaven," and he 
Slid, ^'that's Jeff. Divis, for he drevv with his 
secession tail (tale) a third part of the stars, or 
States of the Union, which was just the number 
of the States seceded." 

There is hardly any end to the misquotations, 
and misapplication of scripture. And there is a 
gool deal of what has been designated as "home- 
made scripture," i. e. quotations made of what is 
not in the Bible at all. For example, some quote 
"that the time will come when we shall not know 
the summer from the winter, but by the budding 
of the trees." "That Judas was a devil from the 
beginning." "That he that runs may read ;" and 
that "each generation shall grow wiser and weak- 
er." And some people have named their chil- 
dren Talitha Cumi, after the damsel Christ raised 
from the dead, thinking that was the name given 
her in the scriptures. And there is one popular 
error in a statement contained in several Bible 
works that the 19th chapter of 2 Kings, and 
the 37th chapter of Isaiah are alike, when there 
are over thirty discrepancies. I learned recently 
of a young man whose friends, on one occasion, 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 47 

tried to induce him to seek religion. He was an 
illegitimate, and he said there was no use for him 
to try to get religion, for the "Bible said a bast- 
ard couldn't go to heaven." This false idea is 
based on a misapprehension of Deut. 23rd chap. 
2n(] verse. All persons with any physical defect 
were excluded from membership in the Jewish 
worshipping congregation, simply as a type, to 
show how perfect, and holy, in a spiritual sense, 
we should be in order to dwell in the Kingdom 
above. That text in Deut. has disturbed the 
minds of others besides that young man. But all 
should bear in mind that only one class of per- 
sons are excluded from the kingdom of heaven, 
viz: those who persevere in impenitence and 
unbelief. 

A few years ago I heard a prominent North 
Carolina man deliver a lecture, his subject being 
King David, in which be took the ground that 
David was one of the noblest characters that ever 
lived, eulogizing his virtues, and passing lightly 
over his transgressions ; and some time afterward 
I met with the lecturer, and on the coming up 
of the subject of his lecture, I said to him, "Dr., 
you gave David a pretty good send off to-night." 
"Yes," he said, "the old rascal needed it, for he 
had Uriah killed in order to get his wife." This 
was rather a reflection on the sincerity of. his 



4S SKETCHES OF LIFE 

lecture. But I called his attention to the evident 
blunder, and the popular mistake in regard to 
David's motive in having Uriah put to death. 
That, according to scripture narative, after David's 
transgression his movements had two objects in 
view — to cover up his sin, and to save the life of 
Bathsheba, who with himself was subject to the 
penalty of death, under the law of Moses. But 
after sending for Uriah to return home, and his 
purpose seeming to thwart David's purpose of 
concealment, then to save his own life, and that 
of the woman, he contrived the death of Uriah as 
the last resort, and then married Bathsheba. All 
this is clearly shown by attentively reading the 
narrative. 

Sometimes people miss the sense of whole pas- 
sages of scripture by not giving the evident sense 
of smoe word, or the right pronunciation of it. 
One man said the word "nigger" did not occur in 
the Bible, and another asserted that^it did, and he 
could show it ; and he turned to one of Paul's 
epistles and pointed to the name of IS'i-ger, which 
he pronounced Nig-er. I once heard the pastor 
of a church preach to a large congregation, who 
made a most egregious blunder in construirig his 
text, which was the words of the Apostle, "with- 
out controversy great is the mystery of godliness." 
He made the Apostle to mean that without 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 49 

entering into controversy, godliness is a great 
mystery, but by controversy it whs all made plain; 
and then he followed out his idea by controvert- 
ing the doctrines of other denominations who 
disagreed with him : 

There is a disposition prevalent in the world to 
misinterpret and pervert the language of the 
scriptures, in order to support false doctrine, and 
to sanction wrong doing. While the word of God 
is to be used by Christians as the "Sword of the 
Spirit," the devil knows that the Bible contains 
that sword, and it is an old trick of his to mis- 
quote and pervert it. In tempting Christ, he 
tried to mislead him by quoting, "It is written, 
&c." And his servants follow his example in 
this, and so every heretical and false teacher 
quotes the scriptures in propagating his doctrine. 
And the Apostle Paul says it is "no marvel, for 
Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of 
Light." And habitual old sinners, in palliating 
their bad conduct, will refer to the example of 
such Bible characters as Noah and David, without 
any intention of following the example of the 
old patriarchs in their deep repentance for their 
transgressions. And old topers will take conso- 
lation from tiie fact that Paul advised Timothy 
to "take a little wine," as medicine or corrective 
of his ailments. And those who wish to engage 



50 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

iu the dissipation of the ball room can find that 
little, disconnected scrap of scripture, '-a tim(? to 
dance." 

Again, it is common for those who are neglect- 
ing their present opportunities to encourage them- 
selves in their procrastination, by referring to the 
example of the laborers, who went to the vineyard 
at the eleventh hour, when they themselves, })er- 
haps, have passed into the twelfth hour of life, 
and by referring to the "dying thief," who per- 
haps never heard the voice of Christ until he was 
dying on the cross, I *viil give an incident which 
is much to the point. A certain minister had 
preached from the text, "will a man rob God ?" 
and the question was answered in the affirmative ; 
and here is the illustration. A man asked an- 
other, "are you a believer in the Christian relig- 
ion ? "0, certainly." "You are a member of 
some church, then, I suppose." "Member of a 
church ? ^o, indeed. Why should I be a mem- 
ber of a church ? It is quite unnecessary. The 
dying thief wasn't a member of a church, and he 
went to heaven." "But, of course, you've been 
baptized." ''Been baptized ? 0, no. Tliat's 
another needless ceremony. I'm as safe as the 
dying t^n»jf was, and he never was baptized." 
"But, surely, since you will not join a church or 
he baptized, you do something in acknowledgment 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 51 

of your faith. You give of your means, you help 
the cause in some way." "No, sir, I do nothing 

of the kind. The dying thief " "Let me 

remark, my friend, before you go any farther, 
that you seem to be on pretty intimate terms 
with the dying thief. You seem to derive a great 
deal of consolation from his career ; but mind 
you, there is one important diflference between you 
and him. He was a dyi7ig thief — and you are a 
living one." 

There is one perversion of a passage of script- 
ure, which is liable to do much mischief, and to 
my certain knowledge, in more than one case, it 
has been used for the basest purpose, and to lead 
others into transgression. I allude to 1 Cor. 7th 
chapter, 36th verse. The term "his virgin" does 
not refer to a man's espoused wife, but to his 
virgin daughter, and by reading the 37th and 
38th verses, any one may see that the whole ques- 
tion involved is that of a man giving, or not giv- 
ing, his virgin daughter in marriage. 

Again, many take the figurative language of 
the Bible m a literal sense, and so mistake the 
meaning. For instance, the idea is generally 
prevalent that at the end of the world, countless 
multitudes of stars will fall to the earth. The 
absurdity of such an idea will appear when it is 
remembered that the most of stars, which are 



SKhTGUES OP LIFE 



distant worlds, are larger than our earth, and if 
one were to fall on the earth, there would be no 
room for another one; and the scripture term 
'•stars of heaven" falling, often refers to the fall 
of civil rulers, &c. Here mark that in Gen. 
37:9-10, the sun and moon and eleven stars, 
plainly refer to Joseph's father and mother and 
eleven brothers. No doubt many will remember 
that some years since a song was sung by some 
of the preachers in this section of the country, 
containing the words, "0, the moon it will be 
bleeding in that day ;" the song being no doubt 
composed by one who believed that at the end 
of the world the moon will be literally turned 
into blood. 

Sometimes scripture language may be perverted 
by even the want of proper punctuation of a 
single sentence. As an illustration it has been 
related that a certain preacher in quoting Rev. 
12:1, P'ade a pause after the word woman, thus 
making the wonder to consist, not in her being 
''clothed with the Sun," but the fact of a woman 
being in heaven. As an illustration of how even 
scriptural doctrine may be abused, and made a 
subterfuge, I will mention the idea conveyed in 
the talents, that "where little is given, little is 
required," and give an incident. I met a young 
man, and inquired if he had a Bible. He an- 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 53 

swered, "No, I haven't got any ; I don't want any, 
and wouldn't read one if I hud it." On inquiring 
of him why he wouldn't read the Bible, he said, 
people told him that where there was "little given, 
little was required ;" and he didn't know much, 
and didn't want to know any more, for fear he 
would have to give an account of it. I gave him 
to understand that a man would have to give 
account of, not only what he knows, but what he 
dont know, and might know, but refuses to know; 
and that the guiltiest kind of a man is the one 
who dodges the opportunity to know his duty; 
and I left that young man with the impression 
that he would pass for a first-class fool. 

I met another man who would answer for a 
sample of the same kind. On inquiring if he 
had a Bible, he said, "No;" he couldn't read. I 
told him if I was no older than he was, I would 
get me a spelling book, and, if I could do no 
better, would go around among my neighbors and 
get them to teach me. He replied ; "I don't care 
nothing about education no how; it ain't no 
account ; it jest makes a man a rascal." 



54 SKETCHES OF LIFE 



CHAPTER VI. 

Superstition— Belief in Witches— Conjuration— Spells, 
&c. — Other humbugs. 

|HE Apostle Paul said, on Mars Hill, ''Ye 
men of Athens, I perceive that in all 
things ye are too superstitious;" and people 
in every age and country have been inclined to 
believe in the supernatural. These beliefs have 
been prevalent in N. Carolina, as well as else- 
where. It seems that all the witchcraft has not 
been confined to New England, for it is stated in 
one of the histories, that the second person ever 
executed in N. C. was a woman, who was put to 
death on a charge of witchcraft. And perhaps 
the masses here now are as ready to be humbugged 
as any other people, and are often made the vic- 
tims of some plausible scheme, the popular news- 
papers of the day containing advertisements 
which carry in their faces the marks of falsehood 
and deception. 

. Perhaps the greatest humbug, and the most 
plausible one?, in the book line, that has been in- 
troduced into our State is, "Bible Readings for 
the Home Circle," which is being sold by can- 
vassing agents in different parts of the State. 
From the title, the unsuspecting people think 
they are getting a valuable exposition of the 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 55 

scriptures for family use, when it proves to be a 
selection of Bible readings twisted and perverted 
to make them tit the false ideas of the Seventh 
day Second Adventists, whose headquarters are 
at Battle Creek, Michigan ; and the agents seem 
to be acting rather as missionaries, and wherever 
they go are active in talking up the Advent doc- 
trines. While the Protestant orthodox faith pre- 
vails in X. Carolina, a number of heretical isms 
have been imported here, which have had prose- 
lytes more or less in several localities, among 
which may be named Universe lists. Second Ad- 
ventists, Spiritualists, and Mormons. The Mor- 
mons found a lodgment in Surry county a number 
of years ago, and during the past year or two, 
some of them have passed around in Chatham, 
Alamance, and Guilford, and tried to introduce 
tj;ieir faith into several localities. Their plan has. 
been to seek the most out-of-the-way neighbor- 
hoods, and, going two and two, to drop in upon 
some unsuspecting farmer about night, introduc- 
ing themselves as ministers of the gospel; and if 
asked of what denomination, they say they belong 
to the "Church of Jesus Christ." Where they, 
are entertained they generally leave a handbill 
containing a synopsis of their faith. While noth- 
ing should be said to discourage the exercise of 
hospitality towards individual strangers in need, . 



6<j bK±JTUIltjb OF LIFE 

1 will take the responsibility of saying that it is 
unscriptiiral to receive Mormon impostors or to 
entertain them as ministers of the gospel. See 

2 Epistle of John, 10th and 11th verses. If any 
man is disposed to accept of the Mormon faith, 
which is based on the bare assertion of one Joe 
Smith, that an angel appeared to him, and re- 
vealed certain things to him, then he is a fit sub- 
ject to be numbered as "one of the fools.'^ 

There are a number of what may be called 
harmless superstitions among the people, such as 
burning flint rocks in the fire to keep hawks 
from catching the chickens; that certain dreams 
or omens are a sure sign of so and so, that will 
surely come to pass, &c. But there are some 
other superstitions that are not so harmless. For 
example, some years ago I was in a community 
where the belief was prevalent that certain pej;- 
eons had the power to lay spells on others, 
by conjuration, and, like the Puritans of New 
England, who had their "Matthew Hopkins, the 
Witch Finder," they had their witch Doctor, to 
whom they went when his services were in de- 
mand. In one case it was said that a man had a 
mule that refused to work and took to kicking, 
and thinking that a "spell" had been laid upon 
him by some of the conjurors, he took him to 
the witch Doctor to get him to take it off". 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 57 

On one occHsion a certain preacher, in a pulpit 
not far oft', denounced the Witch Doctor as an 
iinposter, classing him with "Simon the Sorcerer,'* 
but it seemed as if the Witch Doctor was more 
popular than the preacher in that community. I 
cannot say how much the said Doctor received 
for his services, but it is a historical fact that a 
ciiurch not far off, that was^assessed forty- five 
dollars for the preacher's salary, paid, at the end 
of the year, just one dollar and sixty-five cents. 
That might be pretty good territory for the gyp- 
sies to operate in. 

In my travels, during a number of years past, 
I have several times seen a document in the pos- 
session of persons, who seemed to hold it in su- 
perstitious reverence. It claims to be "a letter 
written by Jesus Christ," while he was upon 
earth, and came to light after his resurrection and 
ascension. It bears plainly upon its face evidence 
of being a forgery. Having taken a copy of it, I 
will quote from it, and the reader can judge for 
himself. "The following letter was written by 
Jesus Christ, and found under a great stone, both 
round and large, at the foot of the cross, eighteen 
miles from Iconium, near a village called Meso- 
potamia, sixty-five years after our Savior's cruci- 
fixion, transmitted from the Holy City, by a 
converted 3QWy faithfully translated from the 



58 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

original Hebrew copy, now in the possession of 
the Lady Cuba's family, at Mesopotamia. Upon 
that stone was written and engraved, 'Blessed is 
he that turneth me over.' All that saw it prayed 
to God earnestly, and desired He would make 
known to them the meaning of this writing, that 
they might not attempt, in vain, to turn it over. 
In the mean time there came a little child, about 
six years old, who turned it over, without help, 
to the astonishment of all who stood by; and 
Tinder the stone was found a letter written by 
Jesus Christ, which was carried to the city of 
Iconium, and there published by a person belong- 
ing to the Lady Cuba, and on the letter was writ- 
ten the Commands of Jesus Christ, and signed by 
the Angel Gabriel, twenty-eight years after onr 
Savior's crucifixion." It is not recessary to give 
the whole of the letter, in order that the reader 
may judge as to its genniness, and I will simply 
give some extracts. 

"LETTER OF JESUS CHRIST." 

"I command you to go to church, and keep the 
Lord's day holy, without doing any manner of 
work. This was written by my own hand, spok- 
en by my own mouth. You shall not only go to 
church yourselves, but also your men servants, 
and your maid servants, and observe my words, 



IN NORTH CAHOLTJ^A 59 

and learu my comiiicindinents. You shall finish 
your labor every Saturday, in the afternoon, by 
six of the clock, at which hour the preparation 
of the Sabbath begins. I advise you to fast five 
Fridays in every year, beginning with Good Fri- 
day, and to continue the four Fridays immediately 
following, in remembrance of the five bloody 
wounds I received for all mankind. You shall 
love one another with brotherly love, and cause 
them th^t are not baptized to come to church 
and hear the holy sacrament, viz : Baptism and 
the Lord's Supper, and be made members thereof. 
In so doing I will give you long life, and many 
blessings. And he that hath a copy of this letter, 
written with my own hand, and spoken with my 
own mouth, and keeps it, without publishing it 
to others, shall not prosper, but he that publishes 
it to others shall be blessed of me ; and if be 
believes not this writing, and my commandments, 
I will send my plagues upon him, and consume 
both him and his children, and his cattle ; and 
whosoever has a copy of this letter, and keep it 
in their houses, nothing shall harm them, neither 
pestilence, lightning, or thunder. You shall 
have no news of me, but by the Holy Spirit, till 
the day of judgment." 

I will suggest, that to my mind, there are three 
reasons for believing the letter to be a forgery. 



60 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

1st. I'hat it contains no moral precept that is not 
contained in the recorded Gospels and Epistles 
of the New Testament. 2nd. That the word 
Good Friday, contained in it, is proof that it has 
been gotten np since the days of Christ and the 
Apostles, as no such word was recognized in New 
Testamei:t times. 3rd. That the writer, since first 
seeing it a dozen years ago, has denounced it as a 
fraud and a humbng, and yet has been visited 
with none of the curses pronounced against those 
who do not believe in the letter. 

Another letter of Christ has turned up, found 
this time by Missionaries, being in circulation in 
homes in lower New York. It claims to have 
been found originally in the Tloly Sepulchre at 
Jerusalem, and preserved by his Holiness in a 
silver box. It fathers itself in the following par- 
agraph : *'I shed 38,325 drops of blood, and he 
who will repeat every day, for fifteen years, 
seven Pater Ave Glorias, to make up for the 
drops of blood shed, and fast five Fridays in the 
year, T will grant five requests of which the first 
shall be complete indulgence, and remission of all 
his sin. Second : Freedom from the sufferings 
of purgatory. Third : if he dies before the fifteen 
years expire, it shall be as though he had com- 
pleted them. Fourth: it will be as if he had 
died shedJins: all his blood for the Christian 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 61 



faith. Fit ill : I will come from lieaven for such 
souls, and the souls of their children, to the 
fourth generation." It is evident that the au- 
thorship of this letter can be traced to no higher 
source than some Roman Catholic monk or priest; 
and the other letter bears the same marks. 

As we are taught in the parable of the rich 
man and Lazarus, that God's written revelation 
embraces all that is necessary for us to know iii 
regard to His will concerning us, no dependence 
is to be placed in any new light or revelation, 
outside of the scriptures, to establish any doctrine 
not contained in the Book ; so the conclusion is 
that Spiritualism, Mormonism, and every other 
ism of like character must be false. Yet it does 
appear that persons do sometimes receive a kind 
of inspiration or presentiment, by which they are 
apprised of things that are taking place, or that 
will take place, and a number of such cases are 
on record. 

In illustration I will give the following histor- 
ical facts, which I gathered while on Pigeon river, 
in Haywood county, some years ago. A youno( 
woman living near by, made a visit to an aunt 
living over the river, which she crossed on the 
foot-log, which is the usual way of crossing smalt 
streams in that country, on foot ; and, as usualj 
this log had a hand-railing to it She went to 



63 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

spend the night, and to retnrn next morning. In 
the m )rning she related a very singular dreatn 
she had during the night. She dreamed that she 
had started home, and after getting near the river 
she sat down on a large rock to rest awhile, and 
then started to cross on the log, and walked on, 
until she had gotten about half way, and where 
one of the hand-railings had been broken off, 
just where one of the little posts had been driven 
into an auger hole in the log, when she suddenly 
fell off into the stream and was drowned. On 
relating her dream, the family where she was 
visiting insisted that she should not start for 
home that morning, especially as there had been 
much rain during the night, and the stream was 
now a rushing torrent. But she persisted in her 
determination to go, and so a young man in 
the family went with her to see her over the 
river. When he returned, he related that they 
went on until the rock was reached, which the 
young woman dreamed she sat down on, and, 
strange to say, she took a seat on it ! Then pro- 
ceeding they got on the log, he taking the lead, 
and holding her by the hand ; and they went on 
steadily until they reached the auger hole in the 
log, when she was seized with a trembling, and 
fell from the log into the rushing waters, pulling 
him in after her : and she was drowned, and he 



I.Y NORTH CAROLINA 63 

himself barely escaped drowning, to return and 
tell the tale. This remarkable incident I ob- 
tained while in the vicinity. 

There are some things that may be regarded 
by many as superstitions, but which, we are 
bound to admit, contain some mysterious facts, 
which are not so easy to dispose of. Of course, 
many have signs and omens, which may be inclu- 
ded under the head of '-old wives' fables ;" the 
voice of the whippoorwill, near the house, or the 
crowing of a rooster, with his head in a certain 
position, being a prophecy of some important 
family event. Some people have regard to the 
moon, being regulated by it in the planting of 
vegetables, &c. In regard to these things, some 
may be incredulous ; but if the moou has such a 
marked effect on the tides of the ocean, why may 
it not have a like effect in respect to the seed, or 
the soil of the earth ? 

It is claimed that some persons have the pow^* 
er to remove certain bodily ailments, without ap- 
plying an^ medicinal remedy. For instance, 
some profess to take away warts, by simply mum- 
bling a few words, and rubbing their hands over 
the warts. And cases have been known where 
persons' hands that were covered with warts, were 
treated in that way, and the warts soon disap- 
peared. Again, some chxim the power to stop 



64 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

blood from a, dangerous cut or wound, without 
any visible application. Not long ago a man, 
whom I regarded as reliable, related to me a case, 
which he said occurred during the war, and to which 
he was an eye witness. He said a soldier was badly 
wounded; an artery, or a large vein, being severed 
and the blood spurting out; and. those having 
him in charge feared the man would be dead 
before the surgeon could reach him, when a man 
standing near said, •'! can stop it." Another 
aaid, *'You had better begin very quickly, then." 
The other said, after a few moments of silence, 
*'I have done what I aim to do." Then in a few 
moments the flow of blood was plainly decreasing, 
and in a little while more it ceased to flow, the 
wound was bound up, and the man recovered. 
This is the account given by my informant, 
which I do not undertake to explain. I will add, 
however, that I learn that the main formula used 
in this blood-stopping process consists of the re- 
peating of a passage of Scripture, found in Ezekiel 
16th chapter and 6th verse. 



IN NORTH VAPMLINA 63 

CHAPTER VII. 

Religious denominations in K^\— Camp Meetings- 
borne differences betwf^en Eastern and Western 
N. Carolina— Anecdotes of preachtrs. 

^^jERHAPS the people of N. Curolina are as 
^^^ religious as they are in any other section 
of our country, at least there are as many 
religious denominations as in any other territory 
of the same extent. They embrace five organiza- 
tions of Methodists, three of Baptists, three of 
Presbyterians, two of Lutherans, one of German 
Eeformed. one of Episcopalians, one of Disciples 
or Campbellites, one of the Christian or O'Kelly 
branch, one of Friends or Quakers, one of Mora- 
vians; and, then, there are a few Tunker or Dunk- 
ards, Universalists, and Second Adventists, who 
claim to be Protestants, but are not regarded as 
orthodox. Besides these, there are within the 
bounds of the State a few thousands of Koman 
Catholics, embracing a bishop and fifteen priests, 
with twenty-two churches, a number of chapels, 
a college, and a seminary, and more than a dozen 
Other schools. These are ruled by a foreign pope, 
who claims to occupy the chair of St. Peter, and 
claims supreme jurisdiction over all the territory 
of earth; thus rivaling the devil, who, in the pres- 
ence of Christ, claimed '*all the kingdoms of th-.' 



66 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

world." But my purpose is to give more than -a 
passing notice to Komanism; and I have decided 
to add a chapter or more to this volume, showing 
from the scriptures that the papacy is the great 
Anti Christ. 

Iwill mention here that a colony of Waldenses 
have recently settled in Burke county, \vhich will 
aid another Protestant denomination to the pop- 
ulation of our State. And there is a little band 
or sect, claiming to be "no sect," up in the moun- 
tain region, who are known as ''come outers." 
They hold that all of the different sects have 
departed from primitive Christianity, and their 
idea is, that if any one is a member of any of the 
denominational churches, let them "come out" of 
that, and join with them, and make a true Bible 
church. What a rediculous pretension that is ; 
for while separating themselves from all other 
sects, they make of themselves another sect, and 
the name of their sect is "no sect." Like all 
others who profess to discard all creeds, and take 
the Bible for their guide, tliey want everybody to 
take their interpretation of it for a guide, so there 
can be no unity of sentiment on such a basis, and 
the question of unity of faith remains just as it 
was, while each individual claims the right of 
private judgment, in the interpretation of the 
ficiptures. 



IJ^ NORTH CAROLINA 67 

In years gone by it was not uncommon to have de- 
bates, when two denominational champions would 
meet, and discuss the issues betwwen them, the 
contest lasting sometimes several days, and at the 
close, the friends of each would claim that the 
one had demolished the arguments of the other. 
But I believe now, as a general thing, the several 
denominations let each other alone, each one pur- 
suing their own line of work. As the Apostles 
can be endorsed by all orthodox Christians, it 
ought to be the basis of fellowship for any one of 
common sense, and a little religion. How these 
sectarian controversies were viewed by the late 
Dr. Deems may be inferred from his reply to a 
certain ecclesiastical bully, who once challenged 
him to a debate. He simply replied in a note, 
saying, '*! regret any act of my life which led you 
to believe that I could be made your scavenger." 
Of all the denominations in N. Carolina, perhaps 
the Duukards are the most peculiar. They prac- 
tice baptism by dipping three times, face fore- 
most, while the candidate kneels in the water, 
dipping once in the name of each person in the 
Trinity, so interpreting Matt. 18:19. They keep 
the seventh day as the Sabbath, practice foot- 
washing, wear long hair, and kiss each other 
when they meet for worship. And on their com- 
munion occasions, I learn that they have lamb 



68 SKhTCHES OF LIFE 

stew, and hand iiround the soup to the congrega- 
tion. There is one peculiarity not iincotniiioii 
with sonie denominations, aa well as individuals, 
and that is to make a specialty of some point of 
belief, not more important than other Christian 
doctrines, but which they make a hobby of, and 
which they ride, making it the sine qua non of 
true doctrine, and each one regards everybody 
else as off of the track, if tliey don't ride the same 
hobby he does, some going so far as to r?n chris- 
tianize those who vary from the line of their 
creed. 

The camp meeting Is as been a great institution 
■in N. Carolina, being held mostly by the Metho- 
dists, but of late years these meetings, in most 
localities, have ceased to be held, and the old 
encampments are going to decay. Perhaps it is 
well, for the camp meeting of the present day is 
Dot what it U8ed to be. It seems now to be ap- 
preciated by many [is a resort for social enjoy- 
ment, in common with other pleasure resorts, 
rather than for religious improvement. The great 
burden on tlie women at the tent, of preparing 
the Sunday dinner, and the U<iii entertainment of 
Eo many visitors, and the comparatively small 
spiritual benefits resulting, being considered, it is 
judged best to dispense with the camp, and hold 
protracted day {services only. Tl)e few camp 



IN NORTH CAUOJJNA C9 

meetings now held in onr State, are mostly li^-ld 
in the western counties, exce})t, perhaps, one,, 
which is held annually, on the Island of Ilat- 
teras. Many will remember the great camp 
meetings held in former years, at Rock Spring 
in Lincoln county, Double Springs in Guilford, 
Mt. Hermon in Alamance, Union Chapel in 
Granville, and other places, where thousands 
have been converted. This writer can never for- 
get Double Springs, as he can say, "This man 
was born there," and has attended more camp 
meetings there than anywhere else, and where a 
number of others were converted who became 
m.inisters. This place, true to its name, had two 
bold springs near by, perhaps not more than four 
or five feet apart, that supplied the encampment 
with water. The nick name of that locality was 
'•Cherokee Nation," and it may be supposed that 
on camp meeting occasions there was some rough 
material to deal with. There were some "lewd 
fellows of the baser sort," who would drink 
whiskey and play cards, around in the woods, 
during the day, and after night come into the 
encampment, and play their pranks. Sometimes 
after the exercises at the stand had closed, and 
the preachers retired for the night, some of these 
fellows would slip up to the stand, blow the 
trumpet, and run off, while others would crow 



'J'O SKETCHES OF LIFE 



like roosters, around in the grove, one answering 
the others. On one occasion one of the preacher?, 
in a sermon, likened this class to "bats and 
owls," that remain in their holes during the day, 
and after night come out and commit depre- 
dations. 

In those days there were no trained choirs in 
the country churches, but the camp meeting 
singing was grand, as the thousands of voices rang 
out from the great congregation. And there 
were some quaint songs that would hardly be 
appropriate anywhere else. For instance, one 
was: 

'Til pitch my tent on this camp ground, 
O, halle, halle lujah ; 
And shout old Satan's kingdom down, 
O, halle, lialle lujah." 



and 



and 



and 



"Old Satan's mad, and I am glad, 

O, halle. helle lujah ; 

He's lost some souls he thought he had, 

O, halle, halle lujah." 

Great camp meeting over yonder, 

On that other shore. 

Happy Fathers over yonder, 

On that other shore. 

By and by we'll go and meet them, 

On that other shore." 

"See Gideon marching out to fight, 
And put the Midianites to flight. 
He took his pitcher and his lamp. 
And smote the Midianitish camp." 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 



While it was a pleasant sight to see those good 
men and women, with their cnps running over, 
rejoicing in the great congregation, there were 
some, doubtless, who tilted their cup a little, and 
let out things that were not very edifying. It is 
understood that the Methodists believe in "falling 
from grace," or rather, in the possibility of it, and 
some perhaps have gotten the idea in their hi.ads 
so strong as to pi^adice. the doctrine, and get 
rather in the habit of falling. So it has been the 
case that some who professed religion, during a 
revival, in a year, or perhaps less, have been ready 
to profess again. One case is reported of a young 
man who had professed religion several time?, 
and was at the altar as a seeker; and, he soon 
professed again, when a by-stander said to hiir, 
*-You came through pretty quick." "Yes," he 
said, "you see T know how ; I'd got it afore." 
Here may be noted a curious phase of Arminian 
and Calvin istic faith. The Arminian believes in 
knonnng that he has religion, but don't know 
whether he will keep it, while the faith of the 
Calvinist does not allow him to know exactly that 
he has it, but to be certain that he can't lose it. 

We cannot judge of the Christian character of 
any one, merely by observing their movements 
during a revival of religion. The outward mani« 
festation of feeling, of those under the influence 



73 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

of the Holy Spirit depends much on the constitu- 
tional mcike-up of the individual. Excessive 
emotional feeling is no mark of high moral at- 
tainment. If it were, the colored race would 
excel the white race in moral character. On the 
contrary, persons who manifest great emotional 
feelings are most inclined to instability of char- 
acter. 

As the two extreme sections of N. Carolina 
vary in soil and productions, so they do in the 
habits and sociaL traits of the people. Before 
the war, as there was a larger proportion of slaves 
in the eastern section, more of the families de- 
pended on them for domestic service, and when 
the war was over many of them still depended on 
the freed slaves for service, while the women of 
the western region generally had been accustom- 
ed to do their own house work, and often made a 
hand in the fields. So, when emancipation was 
effected, they were more independent than those 
of the east. But the burden on them was very 
heavy during the war, when so many of the men 
were absent in the army. I remember, while in 
the mountains, west of the Blue Ridge, the year 
the war ended, that I visited a family living in 
the gorges of the mountains, only reaching the 
dwelling by a bridle path. The family consisted 
of the father, an old man, his wife, and four 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 73 

grown daughters, the sons being in the army. 
All the work of the farm was done by thise 
daughters, even the sowing and reaping of the 
grain. And then they would carry a sack of 
wheat to the mill, five miles away, on horseback, 
over that rugjged mountain pass, so steep in some 
places that I had to dismount, and lead my horso^ 
in passing over it; and those girls wei-e the most 
regular in attending their church, which was fiva 
miles distaut, sometimes walking there and back- 
home after services. One day, while on a visit to 
the family, I noticed a rattlesnake's skin stuffed, 
hanging up by the side of the house, and on in^ 
quiry learned the girls had kiHed it with a hoe^ 
while working in the corn field. . One other state- 
ment I will make, in regard to my visit there, 
that I could not have sat down to a table of nicer, 
more palatable, or better variety of food, anywhere 
between Richmond and New Orleans, than I 
tbund in that log cabin in the mountains. ^ 

During the war the coffee drinkers, in the up- 
per region of the State, found a substitute in a 
tea made of parched wheat, potatoes and persim*- 
mon seed, while the people in the low land could 
fall back on their native herb, the yaupon ; and 
large quantities of sorghum were male, which 
supplied the place of molasses. ,W|ijle the South, 
since the war, is designated as the "New South," 



74 SKETCHES OP LIFE 

iu view of her advancement in almost everything 
tending to bring prosperity, North Carolina may 
be entitled to the appellation of the "New North 
Carolina," as she has pretty well kept up in the 
race for advancement. 

With the disappearance of the "'old flint lock 
gun," the "tallow candle," and the "goose qui 1 1 
pen," have disappeared other customs and habits 
that were popular in former years. Mark the 
advance of public sentiment m regard to the 
Temperance question. In past y€»ar8 it was not 
tincommon for prominent church members to run 
ft distillery ; and they made whiskey and brandy, 
and, drank it too. The good old deacon or class 
leader would set out the bottle to his preacher, 
when he visited him, who did not scruple to take 
a drink. But now, where is the church member 
who would offer it, or the preacher who would 
take it? And where is the candidate that would 
risk his election on givmg a public treat. 

It is known by many that preachers generally 
have a store of anecdotes, and in their contact 
with all classes some ludicrous incidents occur. 
In some communities there are those who attend 
church, that don't seem to know how to behave, 
and the preacher feels it necessary to administer 
reproof, which sometimes requires wisdom and 
discretion to do properly. Some preachers wha 



IN NORTlt CAROLINA 1^ 

are of a nervous temperament, are easily disturbed 
by such things as crying babies, &c. I will give 
a case where the preacher, in giving reproof, rath- 
er got the worst of it. A well-known Presiding 
Elder was preaching at a camp meeting, and just 
in front of the pulpit sat a lady with a little boy 
in her lap, who began to fret and cry. The 
preacher, who was known to be rather rough in 
giving reproof, said to the mother, "Make that 
child hush." She tried, but failed to quiet him^ 
and the preacher then said to her, *'Hold him up 
there, and I'll make him hush." She did so, and 
the preacher, leaning over the book board, and 
looking the little fellow in the face, said, "Hush, 
sir !" but the boy, looking up at the preacher, 
said, "I shan't ; you hush yourself." A farther 
contest with the boy was more than he had bar- 
gained for, and for once he was non plussed. I 
was in the company of that preacher a few years 
ago, and on asking him if that reported incident 
was true, he said, "Yes, it was a fact." 

There are some anecdotes related, at the ex- 
pense of such preachers as are in bondage to th^ 
manuscript, in preachmg, &c. It is said by a 
responsible preacher, that a certain Methodist 
Bishop, who was very precise in conforming to his 
manuscript notes, in all kinds of services, was on 
one occasion invited to offer public prayer at the 



76 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

breaking of ground for a projected railroad, and 
he had his prayer written out, and an old darkey 
stood by, with spade in hand, ready to tnru up 
the earth as soon as the prayer was ended. As 
the Bishop began, the darkey "gazed at him with 
grinning wonder," and as soon as the amen was 
«aid, he grunted out, "Dis is de fus time dis nig- 
ger ever hearn of anybody writin to de Lawd on 
cle subjec of railroads." The narrator said the 
old darkey broke gravity as well as ground for the 
railroad. A certain waiter in a sketch of another 
Bishop, who was known to be a great relater of 
anecdotes in his preaching, said of him, that he 
might economize by numbering his anecdotes, 
that his hearigrs had become so well acquainted 
with, and when he wished to use one to say simp- 
ly, "This is so according to n umber nine, or teii^ 
as the case might be. 

The most remarkable ciTCumstarice in connec- 
tion . with pi'eaehers relating anecdotes, I ever 
knew of, eame within my knowledge some years 
ago. It vvas a N: Carolina Methodist preacher, 
who was so much in the habit of telling anec- 
dates, that peihaps it would have been hard to 
find any one, who had iever heard him preach 
without relating from one to three or four, or 
more of them. I think it Was the laist time I ever 
heard him preaich, that during his sermon he 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 11 

said, "I will relate an anecdote ; though I am nob 
in the habit of telling anecdotes." How strange 
it is, that persons can be so unconscious of their 
rnling traits. How appropriate are the often quot- 
ed lines of Burns : 

"O wad some power the giftie gie us 
To see ourselves as others see us." 

It has been said of a certain preacher, that "h$ 

selected his text to suit his anecdotes." 

It is said there were two preachers who oecuf 

pied the same territory, a Baptist and a Methodist^ 

The Baptist had gotten up a song, which he sung 

all around in his travels, which rather gave hirai 

the advantage, in popularity, over the other. The. 

song ran thus: 

**Go read the third of Matthew ; * 

Go read the Chapter through ; ,-, 

And there It plainly tells you,. 

What Christians ought to do." 

Then his Methodist rival procured him a song 
also, to compete with the other, and thus he sang:. 
"Go read the third of Matthew ; 
Go read the Chapter through ; 
And you'll find that .John the Baptist 
Was nothing but a Jew." 



W SKETCHES OF LIFE 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Hospitality — Incidents illustrating character — Some 
contrasts— Dogs in N. Carolina— The dog at 
church. 

^|i|^AVING spent a number of years in visiting 
i|pli from house to house, and having so often 
to ask for lodging of strangers, I have 
been in a good position to judge of the character 
of the people as to hospitality. Let it be under- 
stood that by hospitality I do not mean the enter- 
tainment of our friends and relatives, or promi^ 
tient people, by which we might gain notoriety 
and popularity, nor the entertainment of thieving 
tramps, or religious impostors ; but that care and 
attention to the wayfaring stranger, which is 
recognized in the scriptures as a Christian virtue. 
*'Be not forgetful to entertain strangers." And "I 
was a stranger, and ye took me not in," is one of 
the causes of the sentence to be passed by Christ, 
of **depart from me ye cursed," upon those who 
neglect the needy. See Matt. 25:41. 

As to general hospitality, perhaps N. Carolina 
will compare with most of the other sections of 
our country. But the eastern, or Albemarle re- 
gion, is unsurpassed in this respect, and Hyde and 
Lenoir counties may be particularly mentioned, 
as unexceled by any counlry I ever traveled in. 



/iV" NORTH CAROLINA 7» 

But some are to be found in other localities, who 
furnish examples of anything else but hospitality.- 
In this connection I will note that there are three 
classes of persons to be met with in traveling, 
viz ; Those who make it a rule never to turn a 
stranger from their door; those who make it a 
rule never to entertain a stranger ; and those who 
will entertain people, or turn them away, accord- 
ing to their whims or prejudices, or entertain 
them for their money. And these characters,: 
which are so much in contrast, and exhibit the 
good and the bad traits of humanity, are often ^ 
found in the same vicinity. 

On one occasion I called at the house of a man- 
who tured me away just at night, with the state- 
ment that he made it a rule never to take in '■ 
strangers, but that I could stay at a house a mile 
or so ahead, and on reaching the place found a^ 
very kind man, who received me, saying, that he 
made it a rule never to turn a stranger from hia^ 
door at night ; but he informed me that the man' 
who turned nie away from his house was in the 
habit of sending all callers to hmi. Now if hos- • 
pitality is a Christian duty, a man can no niore 
put it off on his neighbor than he can his pray- 
ing or repenting. I have found by experience 
that the man who declines to entertain any one, 
on some frivolous excuse, is generally better pre- 



80 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

pared for it than his neighbor, who willingly 
receives him. I can call to mind cases where I 
have been turned away, at night, from the houses 
of the wealthy, and entertained kindly by poor 
men living in log cabins. Upon the whole in 
these things, it may be truly said, "that where 
there is a will there is a way/' 

While journeying in one of the eastern counties, 
I called at the residence of a doctor, who also 
was a local preacher, and of course one of the 
prominent men of his neighborhood, and request- 
ed lodging for the night. He began with his 
frivolous excuses, and said he was a practicing 
physician, and was liable to be called off at any 
hour during the night, his language seeming to 
imply, that if such should be the case, I might 
take his house on my back, and make off with it. 
5 then made my way to a little village not far off, 
and called at a little grocery, kept by tvvo broth- 
ers, and where whiskey was sold, and though the 
family was not conveniently situated for enter- 
taining people, I was kindly taken care of, lodg- 
ing in the store room with one of the brothers* 
This was a notable circumstance — turned away 
from the house of the doctor preacher, and enter- 
tained by a grocery keeper and liquor dealer ! 

I will give another case which shows two indi- 
viduals in strong cwitrast. While traveling in 



IN NORTH C ABO UNA 81 

the western part of the State, I had been invited 
by the Presiding Elder of the District to attend 
one of his camp meetings, and the evening before 
it commenced, and about sundown, I emerged 
out of the mountain paths into the public road, 
a few miles from the camp ground, at a quite 
public place, there being a store and grist mill, 
all owned bj the man living there; and, as he 
was wealthy, and a prominent church official, I 
anticipated spending the night with him. But 
he declined to take me in, saying, they were busy 
fixing to go to the camp meeting, &c., and direct- 
ed me to go on farther. I did not take his ad- 
vice, but drove down to the mill, only a few rods 
distant, and called on the miller, who lived in a 
little one-story house, and though a poor man, he 
said he would do the best he could for me. Hav- 
ing obtained some grain from the mill, and fed my 
horse at the buggy, I hitched him to the post lor 
the night, at the corner of the house, in full view 
of the residence of the owner of the premises. 
After being pleasantly entertained by the miller 
and his family, I made my way^ next morning to 
the camp grounds, where, of course, I felt myself 
at home. My host, the miller, came also to the 
camp meeting and met me with a smile, but the 
man who did'nt receive me into the house was 
rather shy of me, and I was aware that he felt 



83 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

riither uncomfortable over it, especially as I had 
him before me on Sunday morning, while I con- 
ducted the services of the hour. I had said to my 
friend, the miller, before coming to the camp 
meeting, that this man who declined to entertain 
me would be sorry for it before the end of the 
week, and said it, knowing what his surroundings 
would be at the camp meeting. But before the 
end of the week he left the camp with a sick 
child, who died in a few days, and I learned that 
he looked upon it as an affliction sent on him. 
Sometimes my patience has "^een sorely tried, 
by the complete heartlessness manifested by some 
on whom I have called to get lodging. On one 
occasion, my buggy had broken down on the road 
about sun-down, and leaving it there, I had 
8*^arted to find a lodging-place. It was rainy, and 
about night, and I had just come out of an attack 
of intermittent fever, and was getting wet, when 
I came up to a large farm-house. A young man 
made his appearance, to whom I represented my 
case just as it was, when he coolly said he didn't 
take in anybody. "Then," said I, "can you 
direct me to the nearest house where any one lives, 
even a little log cabin, where I can find a shel- 
ter ?" He said he couldn't tell me. T then said 
to him, "Do you ever read the Bible?" "Some- 
times," he said. "Well, let me read a little of it 



IiY NOllTH CAROLINA 83 

for you." And I repeated with a vitn, " 'Depart 
from me, ye cnrsed, into everlasting (ire, prepared 
for the devil and his angels, for I was a stranger, 
and ye took nie not in.' Good bye, sir.' " I 
went on and called at the next house, less than a 
mile away, and was hospitably entertaii:ed by a 
man who was a new-comer in the neighborhood, 
and a Northern man. 

On another occasion, after being disappointed 
in finding a lodging-place where I expected it, I 
came up to a nice looking residence, after day- 
light down. The man came out and began his 
excuses, saying, "You ought to have stopped 
sooner, that they were done supper, and it would 
be troublesome, &c." I then let out on this style : 
"This is too bad for a Christian country, that a 
man has to travel until late in the night without 
finding a lodging-place. But I'll not insist. 
Before I would do that, I would kindle a fire out 
here in forty yards of your house, and sit by it all 
night. You think I am m a bad predicament. 
But, though 1 don't know a foot of the way, and 
don't know who lives on the road, the Lord has a 
man ready not far ofif, who will take care of me 
to-night." And, sure enough, I had hardly gone 
a mile until I was kindly welcomed and enter- 
tained by a most excellent Christian family. And 
80 T have generally found it, that where I have 



84 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

met with the most selfish and inhospitable man, 
I have found one in contrast with him not very 
far off. 

The injunction of the Apostle, to "beware of 
dogs," seems to liave been literally obeyed by the 
law makers of North Carolina, and it seems as 
if they are unwilling to pass what many would 
regard as wholesome laws for the benefit of those 
who think that raising sheep is better than rais- 
ing dogs. But I do not wish to consider dogs in 
their relation to sheep, but, as I have found them 
to be, a disturber of public worship ; for, in a 
number of places the dog has been a church-goer, 
as well as the rest of the family. Aud those 
preachers who are rather nervous, and are dis- 
turbed by crying babies, would not be very pa- 
tient while snarling and snapping dogs were in 
the congregation. I was at a camp meeting, 
years ago, where there were a number of dogs on 
hand, and one night, while the preacher was dis- 
coursing on the parable of the Rich man and 
Lazarus, they were barking and fighting around 
on the encampment ; and, when the preacher 
spoke of the "dogs coming and licking the sores 
of Lcizarus," he paused and said, "If Lazarus was 
here tonight, he would have company a plenty." 

I will here give an account of a very ludicrous 
scene which took place at a little meeting house 



IN NORTH CAROLIiSA «5 

on the mountain. I was visiting the church, 
which was reached by a little bridle path, as no 
wheel of any vehicle had ever made a track 
there. The congregation consisted of about a 
dozen mountaineers, seated at the back side of the 
house, and about the pulpit. The little ».house 
was built of chestnut logs, and not chinked nor 
daubed, with puncheon floor and board pulpit, 
the whole costing, they said, about twenty-five 
dollars. I had dismounted, and, with saddle-bag3 
m hand, was making my way into the house, 
when I was met by a little dog, that composed a 
part of the congregation, which barked vigorously, 
disputing my entrance. This moved the owner 
of the dog, an old woman in the congregation, 
who squalled out at the dog, "git out er here." 
Then passing on to the pulpit, I paused a little, 
hesitating whether to take my saddle-bags into it, 
or leave them outside, as the pulpit was so very 
small, when an old man at my elbow, the most 
prominent character present, thinking, [ suppose, 
that I was not used to such an article as a pulpit, 
pointed to it, saying to me, "You go in there." 



86 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

CHAPTER IX. 

Romance in real life illustrated — Some Temperance 
stories which illustrate the cause of strong drink 
— Some cases beyond the reach of Keeley. 

l^lp^EMORY brings up historical facts, em- 
yy^l^ bracing localities and individuals, but 
as some of the persons are still living, 
probably it will be best to give only initials. 
Years ago Miss Lucy B. came from New England 
to North Carolina, and engaged as a teacher in a 
college in the town of G., and in the same college 
there was a German professor of music, Karl P., 
who wasinclitied to intemperance. At length he 
was taken sick, and was confined to his room for 
some time. Lucy, who was a zealous temperance 
woman, seemed to take much interest in him, and 
would send him tracts to read ; and although she 
might have been very disinterested in the matter 
of his reformation, tiie gossips said "she was in 
love with him." Well, he recovered from his 
sickness and was a convert of hers to the temper- 
ance cause. That was before the issue was made 
for Prohibition, but I think he joined the Sons 
of Temperance, and, of course, she was still more 
in sympathy with him. At any rate the matter 
was still the subject of gossip, and finally caused 
euch a stir up that it resulted in her leaving the 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 87 

college she was in, and taking a position in an- 
other college in the same town. Now, while some 
regard woman as a mysterious and incomprehen- 
sible piece of human machinery, and more com- 
plicated than the harp of a thousand strings, 
those who know much of her history will easily 
arrive at the conclusion of what the outcome 
would be in the case of K-irl and Lucy. Soon it 
was proven that the gossips w^re on the right 
track; and the announcement of their marriage 
was made, and they left the town, hand in hand, 
to go into the world to seek their fortune. 

They did not leave the State, but located in 
the city of R., and put up a music store. She 
continued to be a zealous temperance worker, and 
was at the head of the Society of the Daughters 
of Temperance, in North Carolina. During the 
war, in passing through the city, I remember 
seeing the sign, "Music Store, K. W. P," and I 
imagined how happy she was in her surround- 
ings. But, alas ! a dark shadow came over that 
pleasant home. I have never known bow it came 
about, having lost sight of them for some years. 
But I was startled at length by seeing, in one of 
the State papers, the following notice : "Died in 
this town, in great destitution, K. W. P., of Ral- 
eigb." Then followed, the statement that he had 
left his home, intending to make his way back to 



88 SKETCHES OF LIFE 



Germany, but reaching tlie town of G., he was 
taken sick and died, and was buried by the Ma- 
sons. No mention was made of his family, or 
what had become of his wife. Bat the circum- 
stances indicated, what has happened over and 
over again, that he had turned to drink, then 
cruel treatment of the wife, &c., and finally, that 
he had left her intending never to leturn. So 
time passed away, and I had no information of 
Lucy, until a few years afterward, when I noticed 
her name among the graduates of a Medical Col- 
lege of the Xorth. Of her career since, I know 
nothing. How eventful has been her life ! We 
may here moralize a littb. Some of her experi- 
ence was the result ot a blunder made by other 
women besides her, that of marrying a reformed 
drunkard. iVnd many girls have acted more 
foolishly than that, in marrying a drunkard and 
expecting to reform him after marriage. And 
though many of them have on this account drank 
of the cup of sorrow, yet doubtless others, with 
such examples before them, will do the same 
thing. 

Recently the ground has been taken that drunk- 
enness is a disease, and if so, then it must be 
hereditary, as is also claimed. As an illustration 
bn this point, a lecturer not long ago gave us the 
following incident; A man was taken with 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 



delirium tremens, and a physician was sent for, 
but when he arrived the man was dead ; and one 
of his relatives, his wife or sister, went out to 
meet the physician, and said to him, "0 ! doctor, 
you have come too late." And he replied, "Yes, 
madam, two hundred years too late." His an- 
swer implied that the case of his great-grand- 
father ought to have been attended to. If this 
idea is correct, what a motive is here presented 
for total abstinence, especially to every father, in 
the fact that the dram drinker is entailing upon 
his offspring the constitutional tendency to drunk- 
enness ! The Keeley Institute is based upon the 
assumed fact that drunkenness is a disease, and 
the Keeley cure is now offered as a remedy. But 
neither Keeley nor any otfier mac, can prepare a 
drug that will work the moral reformation of a 
drunkard, and his remedy will fail in the case of 
every man who does not ?i;i7Z to quit drinking. 
Those who take the remedy, and are not cured, 
are such as do not want to leave off strong drink ; 
and such as have lost will power, are beyond the 
reach of Keeley. 

I can give a case that illustrates this point, I 
knew a young man, years ago, handsome, pre- 
possessing, and of much promise, who became a 
physician, and entered into practice, but after 
awhile took to drink, and before long became a 



90 ISKhJTGMES OF LIFE 

C)nfii'tned drunkard. Afcer the lapse of some 
years, having sunk lower and lower in intemper- 
aace, he was induced to go for treatment to the 
Kieiey Institute. Oa his return home he pro- 
fessed to be cured of the appetite for strong 
drink; but it was not long before he took to 
drink again, and to other debaucheries, proving 
that the only remedy for him was, for the One 
that made him to mike him over again, or com- 
pletely regenerate him. Before long he got into 
a- drunken debauch and invaded the home of a 
respectable family, and behaved so outrageously 
that he was indicted, tried and convicted, and 
sentenced to labor in the chain-gang, among other 
convicts. ' And such a spectacle he presented, 
while working on the public roads in shackles, 
was a good temperance lecture to yoiing men, if 
they will receive it. This victim of strong drink 
recently served out his sentence, and the next 
thing heard of him was, that as the *'dog that was 
turned to bis own vomit again, and the sow that 
was washed to her wallowing in the mire," so 
was he. 

On one occasion, while in the Albemarle region, 
I came to the humble dwelling of a lonely old 
widow, who was quite poor, and, being quite com- 
mfnnicative, she gave me a kind of history of her 
life as the wife of a drunkard. As may be sup- 



IN NORTH a Alio LIN A 91 

posed, she was stron<j:ly opposed to iuteniperance. 
Although she was illiterate, she had rather a 
talent for writing verses, and showed me a poem 
she had composed, on the miseries of the drunk- 
ard's family. It was a very pathetic production^ ■ 
tliough in doggerel rhyme. I can only remember 
one stanza, the last one of her poem, the idea of 
which she had taken from the following incident: 
A habitual drunkard, who had made many prom- 
ises of reformation, and had failed to keep his 
promise to drink no more, on returning home one 
day called for an auger. It was brought to him, 
and to the astonishment of his family, he took it 
and commenced boring a hole in the side of the 
house; and when he had finished it he stepped 
back, and pointing to it, said, "when that auger 
hole grows up, then I'll take another drink." 
And the old lady concluded her poem ia the 
following language : 

"Fll bore a hole in my house so high, 
That all may see it, as they pass by ; 
And when that auger hole grows up, 
Then I'll buy wine and take a sup." 



93 SKETCHES OF LIFE 



CHAPTER X. 

Marriages in North Carolina — Laws and customs con- 
cernina: it defective— Primitive marriages more 
rational— The clergy officiating en such occasions 
a relic of Romanism. 

^gS it not a remarkable fact, that, while marriage 
U^ is the oldest institution in the world, in the 
nineteenth century of Christian civilization, 
in our country, the laws and customs concerning 
it are so loose and defective ? Perhaps there ia 
no other country on the globe but these United 
States, where there is no uniformity in the laws 
regulating marriage and divorce. Take, for ex- 
ample, Illinois and South Carolina. If a man 
wants to get rid of his wife, he has only to go to 
Chicago, and sojourn there a little while in order 
to get a divorce, while in South Carolina, he can 
get none for any cause, not even that which 
Christ recognized as sufficient. But in North 
Carolina a man can get a divorce for causes 
not allowable by Christ. And the Methodist 
Episcopal Conference here has forbidden its 
ministers to offijiate io the mirria:^e of any who 
have been divorced for any other cause than that 
which the scriptures sanction as justifiable. Be- 
fore I ever saw North Carolina, I had heard that 
it was the place where people went when they 
ran away to get married, as Justices of the Peace 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 



are not allowed to marry people in Viro;inia. And 
60 Xorth Carolina has afforded better facilities 
for clandestine marriages than some other places. 

The idea given ns of marriage, by Christ, is, 
that it means the union, for life, of one man and 
one woman, instead of one hoy and one girl, but 
according to usage here, a man's fifteen year-old 
daughter may be kidnapped and carried off, con- 
trary to his will, and the marriage effected hastily 
at the house of a magistrate, or in some public 
road, and that is generally the end of it. It ia 
true, that it is contrary to law here to issue a 
marriage license, or marry a couple, where the 
girl is under age, without the written consent of 
the parent, but this is remedied by the simple 
process of a falsehood in regard to the girl's age, 
by the friend of the kidnapper who applies for 
the license; and, although the parent has the 
right to prosecute the offending parties, and an- 
nul the marriage, yet he submits as the choice 
between two evils, the daughter having alieady 
gone off to live with the man, or boy, as the case 
may be. 

Here let ns philosophize a little on the subject. 
The celebration of marriage by a minister or 
magistrate is where the evil comes in. Compare 
the present marriage customs with those of past 
years. When Christ attended the marriage of 



04 SKETCHEIS OF LIFE 

CaiJH, he \\<is tliere simply as an imiied ^iiest, and 
no Kabbi or Priest liad any part in ir. Fiom the 
parable of the Ten Virgins, it will be seen that 
nian-iages were celebrated iatlieliome of the bride, 
and tliere was iiosnch tiling known as a clandes- 
tine or runaway marriage. And where, and how, 
and why, has sncli a change been brought about 
in regard to this matter? The answer is very 
sample and plain — It is due to the corruptions 
of the Romish church. This great ecclesias<:ical 
li-ierarchy by a decree made matrimony a sacia- 
ment of the church ; and from that time in every 
country where Roman Catholics had control, 
marriages were legal only when celebrated by a 
priest at the altar of the chnrch. So the whole 
ceremony of marriage was transferred from the 
home to the Romish chnrch, and monopolized by 
the priests, and made a source of mnch revenue. 
Then it is very clear that the idea of a minister 
of thechurch being necessary in the consummation 
of marriages originated in the falsehood of matri- 
mony being one of the sacraments of the church. 
In the great Reformation from Romanism, why 
did not the Protestants include a reformation in 
the matter of Romish marriages ? But this 
so-called "sacrament" was perpetuated in the 
Church of England, and has been made the fash- 
I'on in the Protestant Episcopal church. The 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 95 

most st^nsible way oF celebrating inarriaires, out- 
side of the liome, was practiced by the Quakerr, 
who required the parties to be married to come 
before tlie church at tlieir montlily meeting, hav- 
ing given previous notice, and there acknowledge 
each other as husband and wife, and that finislied 
the ceremony. 

And now, in this country, the State comes ia 
and monopolizes the business, requiring a license 
to be taken out, authorizing some officiary of tlie 
Church or State to consummate the marriage. In 
the case of an elopement, what a farce is enacted 
in the reading of the ceremony — "If any one can 
show just cause, why these two persons may not 
be lawfully joined together, let him now speak, 
&c." when at the same time, the parents or 
friends of the girl who has stolen away from 
home, if present, would object and prevent the 
marriage, are probably in their beds asleep. There 
was lately some movement made in view of mem- 
orializing Congress to pass a uniform law regu- 
lating marriage and divorce throughout the 
United States, which if done would be wise. And 
if such a law should embody the requirement 
that previous notice should be given of all in- , 
tended marriages, it would cut short all runaway 
marriages. The business of celebrating marriages ■ 
is not monopolized by the clergy here, as it is in 



96 /SKETCHES OF LIFE 



Virginia, any township magistrate being au- 
thorized to celebrate it ; yet it is rather the fash- 
inn or style, especially in high life, to have the 
favorite preacher to be master of ceremonies, 
while sometimes it takes two to finisii it off. One 
thing in the interest of the officiating minister is 
the marriage fee, which in some cases, where 
there is wealth, is a considerable item. But in 
many cases the preacher comes off minus his fee. 
Some preachers can relate rather amusing inci- 
dents in their experience in this line. One had 
married a young fellow, who asked the preacher 
what he charged, and when told that he was not 
in the habit of making a charge, said, "I'm much 
obliged to you ; I'll do as much for you sometime." 
Another, after the ceremony was over, told the 
preacher he wanted to pay him something, "but 
he didn't have any money ; he hadn't sold his 
rabbit skins yet, but when he sold them he 
would pay him." 

Some of the preachers have suggested a plan to 
head off such close-fisted fellows as try to dodge 
the marriage fee by asking the officiating minis- 
ter what he charges. The suggestion is, that 
when such a one asks that question, to reply, 
"Well, we leave that to the bridegroom. If he 
thinks he has gotten a valuable wife, that he es- 
timates pretty highly, lie can give a right good 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 97 

fee; hut if lie thinks he has rather a kind of 
tweiify-five cent wife, then lie can pay according- 
ly. 'I'his wonhl j)iit such a fellow in rather an 
awkward predicament. 



CHAPTER XL 



Marriage itself— Some comments and suggestions — 
8onie illustrations. 

^^pS to marriage, some one has said, that it is 
^J^ a solemn thing to he married, hut more 
solemn not to be married. And marriage 
has been likened to a lottery, or chance game, as 
to whether one gets a good husband, or wife. 
Ace )rding to Holy writ, he that gets a good wife 
''obtaineth favor of the Lord ;" and, if so, when a 
man gets a bad one, where does shp- come from ? 
The woman was given to the man for a help-meet, 
not a help-mate, as many improperly quote it, 
but a help that is meet, or fit, as the word signi- 
fies ; and when this idea is carried out, then mar- 
riage IS the earthly paradise; and, if otherwise, it 
is purgatory, if we know what that is. Marriage 
has been often perverted from its proper intent, 
to unholy purposes, resulting iii discord, and 
often divorce. 



98 SKETCHES OF LIFE 



In slavery times young men, on being introduc- 
ed to young ladies would ask, '"How many nig- 
gers has she got?" and there were some bachelors 
in those days known as regular "fortune hunters." 
Of course, tliat game is played out now, in North 
Carolina, but some American heiresses, who trav- 
el in Europe, furnish pretty good game for t';? 
old broken down aristocrats, who condescend to 
marry them for a few hundred thousand dollars, 
while they are pleased to barter themselves and 
their money for a title ; and it is a matter of 
record that some of them have reaped the fruit of 
their folly in the miseries inflicted by a brutal 
husband. There is also a good deal of romance 
about marriage. We have cases of "love at first 
8ight,"followed by hasty marriages, and more 
than one case lias occurred in North Carolina, 
within my knowledge, where respectable girls 
have answered advertisements for a wife by men 
living a thousand miles away, and afterward they 
have met and were married. In such cases it is 
hard to tell which exhibited the greater folly, 
the man or the woman. But, stranger still, 1 
have more than one case in mind, and one of 
recent occurrence in a neighboring town, wliere 
the married persons separated and were divorced, 
and afterward were remarried. 

Surely, when it is considered how far.- reaching 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 99 

are the consequences of marriage, it should be 
entered into with carefulness and judgment, as 
well as fancy, and feeling should be exercised 
in it. And not only should character be consid- 
ered, but it should be borne in mind that there 
is such a thing as the law of heredity, by which 
constitutional tendency to disease, intemperance, 
and other vices may be transmitted from the pa- 
rent to the child. In this connection how appro- 
priate is the application of the proverb, "an ounce 
of preventive is worth a pound of cure." But-, 
after all, where is the man or woman, who is wise 
enough to secure himself or herself from an 
unwise choice in contracting a marriage ? Is it 
not a remarkable fact that the wisest man who 
ever lived, and one who had married more wives 
than any other man on record, should have made 
the most complete failure of any other man ? Of 
course, I refer to King Solomon, who had seven 
hundred first-class wives, and three hundred sec- 
ond-grade, making a thousand in his household, 
and found not one true woman among them all. 
This indicated in Ecc. 7 chapter and 2 verse. 
And these strange wives led to his backsliding 
from God, See 2 Kings 11:1, &c. 

The present discussion of the "woman ques- 
tion" may result in seriously affecting the mar- 
riage relation. The divine law has assigned to 



100 SKETCHES OF LIFE 



the woman her position, and the latest inspired 
deliverance on the suhject is that of the Aj)ostle ; 
and if in 1 Tim. 2 chapter, and in Eph. 5 chap- 
ter he does not mean to teach that the woman 
ninst be in subjection to the man, then there ig 
no sense in the English language. But with the 
progress of events the woman seems to be moving 
to the front, or rather np toward the head. Al- 
ready we liave female pastors of churches, and the 
last political campaign witnessed the novel sight 
of a woman from a thousand miles away, making 
speeches, as the colleague of one of the presiden- 
tial candidates. As to how far woman may go 
in religious work, of course she cannot come up 
to the standard of scrij)tural qualification for 
ordination, as she cannot be "the husband oTone 
wife." But perhaps in regard to her public ex- 
ercises, it may be safe for us to occii})y the posi- 
tion taken by a prominent teacher, when a noted 
woman preacher was holding a special meeting in 
his town. On bein^j asked what he thou":ht 
about a woman's preaching, he said, '-Well, as to 
wliether Mrs. M. is called to preach or not, I am 
not able to decide; but there is one thing I am 
entirely satisfied of, and that is, that I am not 
called to stop her." 

Here I will say that the great moral issue of 
prohibition in North Carolina, is likely to be 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 101 

aTj3--el by H'Dth^r p'i;i?3 of thi vv) ii ii q'iistio;K 
I refc^r to the qa.^stioa ol* vvo.nin suJfiM-^e. The 
iJdi has rievei" Ijicja pjpilar in the S)iith, and 
while the temperance people of North Oirolin-^ 
have been very generally iinitel on the question 
of prohibition, heretofore, yet now the prohibition 
pirby has in )lu bl wo nin sn'f.M^e in their plat- 
form. And so prohibition having tacked on to 
it other measures, upon which Christian men are 
divideJ, an I many do not endorse, the natural 
result is a division in the prohibition army, and 
many life- Ion ^ prohibitionists will not co-operate 
with that politicil pirty. It will not do the 
cause of prohibition any goocl for extremists, who 
are in the minority, to sit in judgment on other 
Christians of unblemished character, who differ 
from them, and unchristian ize them, because they 
do not vote with their political pirty. 

One fact in this connection I will note. A 
recent General Conference of a Methodist body, 
has mide women eligible as delegates to their 
ecclesiastical bodies; and i'.i their revised book of 
discipline, have left out the word o'^sy, in the 
marriage ceremony, as applicable to the bride. 
But that avails n:)thingf, for leaving out the word 
obey, the worn in promises to live with the man 
'*after the ordinance of God," which requires her 
to be in subjection to ber husband. 



103 SKETCHESS OF LIFE 



As to the marriage of young pr'ople, the bdst 
that can be clone is to train them up with right 
views and principles, but as to giving them ad- 
vice after they have set their heads on marrying, 
it is a vain thing. Tney will hirdly ever take 
advice on that subject, even after asking it. In 
Diy younger d^ys I had no better sense than to 
oTer advice to young lady friends, cautioning 
them to beware of a certain class of young fel- 
lows, thinking I was doing them a favor, instead 
of committing the unpardonable sin in their 
sight. §0 my experience has cured me of tliat 
kind of work. It seems that in courtship there 
is a kind of mutual deception practiced. Each 
one has on their Sunday clothes, and their Sun- 
day manners, and the business is carried on with 
smiles, and compliments, and each one liable to 
be mistaken in the real character of the other. 

While it is true that people are so averse to 
taking advice in regard to marriage, perhaps there 
is no subject that young people need advice about 
more than they do in this. But more especially 
is this true in regard to young girls, as disap- 
pointment in love affairs, results in more damage 
to them, in many cases wrecking their hopes of 
happiness for life. They should remember how 
many of their sex have come to grief, by listening- 
to the fair speech and promises of plausible men. 



IN I^WR TH GA R OLINA 1 03 

Every girl of good sense should be prudent 
enough not to put her character in the keeping of 
any living man. They should bear in mind that 
many young men are inclined to boast of their in- 
fluenc3 over girls any way, and even in cases 
where one is partial to a particular young man, 
if she crosses the line of prudence, she should not 
be silly enough to think that her reputation will 
not be established, among the rest of the young 
ni3n of her acquaintance, as she showed herself to 
be in the sight of that young man. I will take 
the liberty to say, that in the present state of so- 
cioty, parents allow their daughters too much 
latitude in their association with young men. 
The fact is, it is too much the fashion nowadays to 
let girls figure as women before they are really 
out of childhood ; and some of them, while they 
should be in short dresses, are pretty well tutored 
in the practice of the "Arm clutch.'' 

Years ago there was a family of several daugh- 
ters, and one grown son, who was the eldest, and 
who was looked upon by his sisters as a model 
young man whom they looked up to, as their 
counsellor. On one occasion, iu trying to impre5S 
upon them how guarded they should be in the 
company of young men, he said; "Remember, my 
sisters, that ev^^ry man in the world is a granl 
rascal, and your brother among the rest," This 



104 i^iKETCHElS OF LIFE 

vv.is of c nu'cse, ail extravaiiaiit reinaik, but was 
calculateil to bj iin[)ivssive. Yet tli'3 impression 
did not much exceed that of Kini»' l^avid when 
he said, *'l said i/u/?_^ /^c^.x^e, all men are liai>;" 
wliile soiUf^ writer has said tliat, ''if' David hail 
said it at his leisure, he would not have missed it 
iniioh." 

Here I witl ni ike some snsj^estions to that 
class of youn^ people who are honest and sincere 
in regard to marryini:^. To the y<)ung m;in I will 
say, if you have really fallen in love, or in other 
words, become infatuated, don't imagine that yon 
have fonn I an angel. Remember that there are 
no angels down in this lower w^orld, and though 
we believe there will be woman angels among the 
redeemed in heaven, yon should not believe that 
the one you are about ready to worship is one, 
unless you can see her wings, and not then, for 
it might be an imitation article. You had bet- 
ter not flatter you idol into the belief that she is 
a superior being, or she may fancy herself too 
good to marry an ordinary mortal like you. You 
had better simply let her know that you regard 
her as a nice, amiable woman, who will make 
you a good wife, and that she is the woman of 
jour choice. And if she should say, "no," don't 
threaten to hang or drown yourself, on your way 
home; and don't go whining around about it, 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 105 

but show as much independence as you can, and 
if she repents afterwards, you will be very apt to 
find it out. In this kind of business, sometimes 
final perseverance works wonders. Women as a 
rule in marrying seem to disregard equality, 
either financially, socially, intellectually or mor- 
ally, and are governed more by their fancy for 
the individual man, and marriages are continu- 
ally taking place where there is the greatest con^ 
trast in these thii:gs. 

Perhaps the most of persons have observed that 
the law of contrast prevails, as to those who 
marry, in size, complexion, temperament, &c. To 
the young marriasjeable girls I will say, is is the 
best not to be in much of a hurry to get mar- 
ried, or you may have to repent at leisure. Tf 
marriage is best for you, the right man will come 
along after awhile. Only continue in the path 
of duty and wait for him. Don't say you don't 
aim ever to marry, for no man, who knows much 
of human nature, would stand back on that 
account. And you need not manifest any anxiety 
about it, for an amiable, good lookingwoman will 
carry with her the power of attraction. On one 
occasion a young lady acquaintance of mine asked 
me it I could tell her the "best way to set her 
cap." "0 yes," said I, *'I can tell you exactly. 
Just appear as if you were not setting it" Thi- 



106 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

fact may be confirmed by a single Scripture quo- 
tation; "In vain is the net spread in the sight of 
any bird," And the interpretation is, if we wish 
to catch a bird, we must not let that bird see us 
spreading the net. 

As women do not have a fair opportunity, al- 
ways, of knowing the character of the man they 
marry, they are the more liable to be deceived. 
I will here give a little historical sketch. I had 
a relative, who had married two clever men, and 
Was left a widow the second time with a consid- 
erable estate, and being a fine looking woman of 
about forty, it may be supposed that she would 
be attractive to impostors. Before long she was 
visited by a widower who was recommended to her 
by some person in his town. He was polite and 
genteel in his manners, and on preaching days 
■^ould ride with her in her carriage over to the 
tillage church, she being one of the prominent 
members. She married him, and so completely 
had he gained her confidence, she did not reserve 
any part of her estate to herself. Then he 
showed himself as he was, not only a drunkard, 
but an Universalist in his belief, and was vicious, 
and abusive toward his wife; and not only did he 
refuse to go to church himself, but would not let 
her go, and would ridicule her favorite preachers. 
He was wasting her estate very fast when his ca- 



tK NORTH CAROLINA 107 

reer ended, and be died with delirium tremens. 
After his death I visited the widow, who gave me 
an account of her experience with him, and what 
abuse she received from him, even having her life 
threatened, and bemg driven from her home du- 
ring the night. If she ever manifested any incli- 
nation to marry again I never knew of it 



CHAPTER XII. 



The public roads in North Carolina— How some peo- 
ple gUe directions to travelers — Quaint names of 
some localities — Some personal adventures, and 
curious characters met with. 

^HOSE who have traveled much in North 
Chrolina, by private conveyance, will tes- 
tify to the fact,. of the little attention paid to the 
condition of the public roads. It is no uncom- 
mon thing for wagons to be mired down, up to 
the axles, and have to be prized out with fence- 
rails. I remember that a few years ago, after 
crossing a creek with horse and buggy, the horse 
sank in mire up to his hips, and could not be got- 
ten out until I went to a house, and obtained a 
hoe and spade, and dug him out The plan of 
keeping up the public roads here, has been by 
having an overseer, as he is called, who notifies 



108 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

the hands, at certain times, and they gather in 
and work the roads in a kind of fashion according 
to law, and often the newly worked will be a sign 
that court is coming on the next week, which 
puts one so much in mind of some people who 
neglect the work of repentance until about the 
time they have to die, an 1 go to judgment. And 
the matter of putting up sign-boards is much 
neglected, also. How worrying it is to a traveler, 
on searching the forks of a public road, to find no 
sign to indicate which road he should take, when 
it would take so little trouble to nail up a small 
board with a few words on it, giving the necessary 
information. 

And how strange it is that so many seem inca- 
pable of giving sensible directions to a travler. 
How annoying it is for one to inquire the way to 
a certain place, near night, of a strapping young 
fellow, and to be told ; "You go along down 
across the creek, and go on till you get passed 
granddaddy's, and then you'll take the left hand,'^ 
&c. And often people will say, "Just take that 
road, and keep on straight, and you can't miss the 
way," and perhaps one will not go far, before they 
will find a plain fork, and one road just as 
straight as the other. I remember, on- one occa- 
sioii, calling at a lionse to get directions, and an 
old lady coming to the door, I had to pass through 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 109 

the following ordeal. On asking the way to the 
house of Mr. B., she said, "I spose you're a 
stranger about here." "Yes madam, and you will 
please give me directions about the road." "Well, 
yes ; and is he a kinsman of your'rn." "No, mad- 
am, no kin at all ; but you will please tell me the 
way to his house." "0, yes; and what might a 
body call your name?" AVell, after so long a time 
I managed to get her kind of directions. 

In passing about over North Carolina I have 
come across some curious names of localities, and 
some odd characters, and have had some personal 
adventures, not marvelous encounters with bears, 
wild cats, or rattle-snakes, but such as are outside 
of our common experiences of life. While travel- 
ing in the Albemarle region I found myself in 
"Paradise," then in "Pellmell," and in "Snake- 
bite ;" the later place not so named because some 
one was bitten by a snake at that place, but be- 
•cause a reckless fellow, iu one of his frolics, there 
engaged, for a wager, to "bite off a snake's head.'* 
And in the mountains there is Beau Catcher's 
Knob, so named, perhaps, because some girl, once 
upon a time, caught a beau there. And there is 
Sandy Mush Creek, so named, the people said, 
from the fact that in the early settlement of the 
country, some hunters camped on that creek, and, 
in making mush from the water of the creek^ 



110 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

they got some sand in it; so afterward it receiv- 
ed the name of Sandy Mush Creek. Then we 
have "Shoe Heel," and "Lick Skillet," and "Love 
Lady," the origin of which I have no account of. 

There is one case in which tradition, so called, 
proves to be a myth. In passing from the Albe- 
marle Sound, some years ago, in a schooner, to 
Roanoke Island, the old captain, among other 
yarns, told me what, he said, was the origin of the 
name, "Oroatan." He said, away back in yea! 8 
past, the people stampeded from the place ; and 
there was one woman left behind, whose name 
was Ann ; and that she starved to death, and was 
eaten by carrion crows; and as crow ate Ann, 
the place afterward was called Oroatan, But this 
pretty little story is spoiled by the historical fact, 
that when the colony containing the parents of 
Virginia Dare, and left on Roanoke Island, was 
lost, the only tidings ever heard of them was the 
name "Oroatan," carved on a tree on the Island* 
So it is certain that the place was named Oroatan 
from the earliest knowledge of it, by the English. 

I had an adventure, over on the border of Vir- 
ginia, with one of the most unique characters I 
ever met with. It was late in the evening, and I 
was getting nearly out of the settlement of the 
well to do people, and was aware that for miles 
there was but little chance of finding a lodging 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 111 

place for the night ; and according to direction?, 
I called at a comfortable looking residence, and 
being informed that the old man was down at the 
barn, feeding, I awaited his return. Then I 
spoke to him, telling him I culled to get lodging 
for the night, and the following dialogue took 
place between ns. In a crabbed way he asked, 
"Why didn't you stop back yonder?" "Well," said 
I, "I was directed to call here." "0, yes, I reck- 
on you were." Then I said, "just direct me to 
some place where I can find lodging for the 
night. He said, "there isn't any place." Then 
he asked, "what's your name?" On telling him 
my name, he asked, "what's your occupation ?" 
Here I hesitated, telling him he would find out 
more about me around the fireside. This, I sup- 
pose, rather aroused his suspicions, and he said^^ 
"Yes ! a gambler I expect ; and drunk at that." 
"Well," said I, "I should like to know bow yen' 
can tell when a man is drunk that you never saw* 
when he was sober." He said, "0, I can tellf 
I've been a drunkard myself." Then he said,' 
"Unhitch and come in." I told him I didn't, 
feel inclined to do so, unless he was in a better 
humor. But at length I decided to take him at' 
his word, and find out more about him. Sol- 
unhitched my horse, he leading him to the stable,? 
and I following ; and as he led the horse toW^ai*d* 



112 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

a stall be pointed to a cutting room, where a 
small darkey was cutting feed, and said, "You 
go in there and go to cutting feed," and added, 
"may be it will sober you some." I kept in a 
pretty good humor, knowing how he would be 
taken down when he came to know the facts in 
the case. So I went into the cutting room, and 
took a hand with the little darkey in cutting the 
feed, using the old style cutting blades, which 
was rather a tiresome job, and I stopped awhile, 
when the old man approached, and tried to hurry 
me. Then I spoke very plainly, and told him if 
be didn't mind I would hitch up, and leave him, 
and report him to others. But, said I, "suppose 
you find that you are mistaken in your ideas in 
regard to me." "Well," said he, "if I am, I'll ask 
pardon; but I don't think I am." 

By this Mme we were called to the house, and 
by the time he reached the table, he was in a hu- 
mor good enough to "say grace." And, mind you, 
il was a Methodist family. On being seated at 
the table the old lady, by way of apology, said 
she had been living with the old man forty years, 
and had hardly got acquainted with him yet. 
There was also a grown son and daughter at the 
table, and on hearing my name, they remembered 
iii6, having attended a special meeting held by me 
not many miles distant. By this time the old 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 113 

nian, though very deaf, began to get some light 
on the subject, and taking his seat in the corner, 
began a kind of soliloquy. "Well," he said ta 
himself, "I said if I was mistaken I would ask 
pardon." I found the family kind and hospita- 
ble, and the next morning, on fixing up to start^ 
the old man said, "you mustn't think much hard 
of me; if you had told me who you were, I 
wouldn't have talked to you so." One fact my 
experience with the old man impressed me with^ 
namely, that he did not practice any deceit in hia 
intercourse with people. 

A curious character was old Mr. L. in the low-, 
lands. He was a real Paul Pry, and in trying to 
satisfy his curiosity, would pump any body, any 
where, and on any occasion. Perhaps he never 
had his curiosity satisfied in a more ludicrous 
manner, than he did on one occasion, in the yiciur 
ity of his own home. He went to the postoffice, 
and as he walked into the room, the proprietor 
was juet in the act of drinking a glass of Seidleta 
powders. The old man, true to his ruling passion, 
plied the question; "What kind of a drink is 
that you are taking?" And being told what it 
)5vas, he asked, "And is it a pretty good kind of 
drink?" And being informed that it was, he 
^aid,. r^would you let me have a taste of it ?" . **Qj 

ii^!-:.tUe man ^aid, "I'll fix you- ..up ^. drink.'" 



tT{ 



SKETCHES OF LIFE 



So the postmaster concluded to satisfy his curi- 
osity in playing a trick on him. So he brought 
two glasses, and putting one of the ingredients 
into one of them, he handed it io him, saying, 
"drink this." And as soon as he had swallowed 
it, handed him the other tumbler, with the other 
portion of ingredients, staying, "Now drink this;'^ 
and he did so. Of course the mixing and the 
effervescence took place in his stomach, and the 
reader may imagine what capers the old fellow 
cut, as, with distorted countenance, he jumped up, 
stamping, and snorting, while the effervescing 
fluid poured out of his mouth and nostrils! And 
it is hardly necessary to say that his curiosity 
Was fully satisfied as to what kind of drink that 
was. ■ • 

Those who travel much by private conveyance, 
-and among strangers, need not expect always to 
find one at night to take them in, and sometimes 
tnuch inconvenience is experienced. But my ex- 
perience has been, that whenever I have been 
tnrned aWay by a crabbed "Nabob" at stopping 
time, I have ha;rdly ever failed to find a clever 
family not fiir off, whose hospitality was exhibited, 
ill contrast with the want of it in the other. And 
my experience in traveling has gone far to estab-^ 
lish in my own mind the truth of a special 
Providence. On one occasion, while traveling in 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 115 

Naeh county I had, as usuai, a box of Bibles, 
with an oil cloth cover, and had also an extra box 
in my buggy, without any covering to protect it 
from the weather* In a little while I saw a heavy 
cloud arising out of the west, but felt not much 
concern about it, thinking it was going around 
me, but in a little while was surprised to find a 
heavy rain in sight, and swiftly approaching me, 
and as no dwelling was near me, I saw no way of 
saving the books from being ruined. I halted, 
and behold, an object I never saw before or since, 
within less than five steps from me, namely, a 
little board or box house, in a corner of the 
fence, about four or five feet square, placed there 
evidently as a shelter in case of a storm, for the 
protection of those who worked in the field near 
by. It was only the thought of a moment to a? 
light and take my box and valise into the little 
flhanty where I kept dry, while almost a cyclone 
raged without; and the rain was sooa over, and 
I came out and went on my journey. Again the 
next week I passed the place, and was thinking 
of the strange occurrence, and before going far 
the rain began to fall, from a cloud overhead, and 
unexpectedly, while no family was living near. 
But just at this time I found myself in the road 
opposite an old unoccupied house, with open door, 
and hastily hitching my horse to the fence, I 



ll() SKETOam OF LIFE 

went in ; and the worst hail-storm I ever knew 
raged for more than an hour. If any one should 
say all this happened by chance, then the conclu- 
sion is that chance provides for us in cases of 
jgreat emergencies. 

' Once I was returning to the neighborhood of 
Plymouth, from the Island of Hatteras, by way of 
Hyde county. It was in the month of May, and 
landing in Hyde, from a schooner, I was afoot, 
with gome seventy miles, or more before me in 
reaching my destination, by the public road. 
'But after going some miles, I received informa- 
tion that there was an old canal, which had beeri 
tut from Beaufort county through the Big 
'Swamps to the Plymouth road, and if I could 
get some one to put me through in a canoe, it 
would save me more than half the distance to 
Plymouth. So whien I reached the vicinity of 
the canal I succeeded in engaging two darkies to 
'put me through, which they would have to do by 
pushing the canoe through the canal, a distance 
often or twelve miles. We procured an old cast 
off*, leaky catioe, and I took my seat in the fore- 
end, with iigobi-d to dipout the water when nec- 
essary. To appreciate the Journey, it will be well 
'to give ail trfe description of that canal, so called, 
which wais'sithply an old ditch, with about two 
'and a half "feet of water, with -Obstructions ber6 



IN^ HOR TH CA ROLINA 117 

and there, in the way of sunken logs, &c., while it 
was bordered on both sides with an almost im- 
penetrable thicket of cane, brambles, &c. We 
started about 2 o'clock, P. M., and our speed may 
be imagined, when it is known that, while the 
two darkies propelled the canoe with poles, I did 
the double duty of pumping out the water, and 
guiding it by pushing it otf from the projecting 
logs and stumps, and sometimes having to rid 
myself of the bamboo briars that hung overhead, 
and became entangled around my neck. To make 
a long story short, about sun-down we reached 
near the end of the ditch, when the canoe wa^ 
grounded on an old moss covered log, and I land:- 
ed there, leaving the darkies to make their way 
back as best they could, while I had to make tw6 
or three miles through the marshy swamp, in or- 
der to reach the Plymouth road. And after 
reaching it I sat down to rest, only to engage in a 
battle with the mosquitoes. But it was some five 
miles to Plymouth, and night being npon me, I 
preferred to find a place under the pines, and laid 
down and slept pretty well ; not like Jacob, w.ith 
^ stone for my pillow, for there are none in that 
country, but made a substitute of my valise, 
Sarly next morning I set out, and reached tiie 
. hpMse of a friend in Plymouth in time for Ixreaii^ 
'fast; atid, washing off the mud of the swamp, •? 



:118 . SKETCHES OF LIFE 

reached the church in time for the Sunday morn- 
ing services of the Methodist District Conference. 
But this was not the only time that I had to 
spend a night under the long leaf pines, on the 
•borders of a swamp. I remember being in just 
isuch another predicament, only it was not in the 
balmy month of May, but in the winter season ; 
but I made me a roaring fire of pine logs and 
;knots, and after eating my supper of crackers, I 
laid down, with my over-coat and valise for my 
bedding, while the voice of the great owl, and 
.the "Ohuckwills Widow," broke the stillness of 
>the scene. But, says one, "were you not afraid ?" 
Here I will suggest an antidote, to fear und?r 
such circumstances. It is the words of David in 
the Psalm. "The Angel of the Lord encampeth 
round about them that fear him and deliveretb 
them." 



CHAPTER XIIL 



Some other curioua characters and things noted— Life, 
anil how they live, in the two extreme sectiona 
of North Carolina, contrasted. 

jMONG the curiosities of the past years, 
which are parsing away, is the old style 
4)ulpit. How strange to think what kind of 




IN NORTH CAROLINA 110 

places were constructed for the preacher to ad- 
dress his audience from. It was a very proper 
expression, to speak of going up into the pulpit, 
for the preacher did have to go up, and pretty high 
up too, to get into it, reaching it by a stair-case: 
and, having a door to it, he could shut himself in. 
It seemed like the people wanted the preacher to 
be as far removed from this liwer world as pos- 
sible in discoursing to them of heavenly things; 
and perhaps no one thought of the disadvantage 
of speaking from such a place. Daniel Webster 
is represented as having said that, one evidence to 
his mind of the divine authority of Christianity 
was, "that it had succeeded in the world in spite 
of pulpits." It has been stated, that while a 
preacher was discoursing from one of the old puU 
pits, who was full of action, and spinning from 
one side to the other, a little boy sitting by his 
mother, thinking that the preacher was fastened 
up in the great high box, whispered to his motb* 
er, "Ma, why don't they let him out ?" 

And the old cemeteries, what quaint epir 
taphs they contained! It will not be in good 
taste to criticize the spelling ; but having copied 
a number of them, I will give a few here, which 
I think are good. Perhaps most of persons have 
seen a very common one, which represents the 
dead as saying; 



^20 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

"Remember, man, as you pass by, 
As you are now, so once was I, &c. 

Oue reads; 

"O cruel death, thou hast conquered me, 
And by thy dart I'm slain; 
But Christ my Lord has conquered thee: 
In Him I'll rise again." 

fdn the tomb of an infant. 

"We bring: them,Lord, with grateful hearts, 
And yield thtLm up to thee. 
Rejoiced that we ourselves are thine— 
Thine let our offspring be." 

On the tomb of a mother. 

' "Sweet is the sleep our mother takes, 

Till in Christ Jesus she awakes. 
Then will her happy soul rejoice. 
To hear her blessed Savior's voice." 

• Perhaps the rarest thing in the way of church 
building I found on the banks of John's River, 
which was two houses of worship side by side, 
only a few yards apart. The fact itself suggested 
schism and church division in the community ; 
and I learned that the first house was built by 
the Baptists ; then the Second Adventistscarae^ 
and proselyted some of the members, and it re- 
sulted in the building of another church for the 
Adventists. This is evidence that religious liber- 
ty is «/«(?/ in our country. We are glad that,- 
fvhile we have corruption in. politics, we are free 
from that curse of the old world, the union of 
Church and State; and that religion cannot be 



IN K OnTH CAHOLmA 121 

monopolized by civil or ecclesiastical tyrants, by 
whom many have sufFered martyrdom in the past. 
Even under the influence of the so-called Re- 
formed Church of England, just before the Rev- 
olutionary war, in this country, Quakers and 
Baptists were prosecuted and whipped as dis- 
turbers of the peace, because they offered to 
preach the gospel in plain dress, and without the 
gown and book, and without the sanction of the 
state church. 

But while religious liberty is guaranteed to us, 
under our constitution, yet there are people a- 
niong us, bigots, and if they had the power, 
would not allow others to advocate any faith 
different from their own. Perhaps some may be 
surprised to know that there are churches in. 
North Carolina, claiming to be primitive in faith, 
who will not permit their members to participate 
in a Sabbath School, and cases can be 1 ocated, 
where they have excluded persons from the 
church for doing so. And I can name another 
case, where they arraigned a member on the charge 
of making public prayer in a meeting of another 
denomination, and on his failure to make ac- 
knowledgement for doing so, they expelled him. 
It will not be a surprise to any, perhaps, to know 
that the denomination referred to is described in 
ecclesiastical history as "becoming extinct" Ii^ 



1S2 SKhTGHES OF LIFE 

this connection I will mention that, wljile can- 
vassing in the eastern counties I called at a house, 
and on telling the vv >man my business, she said ; 
*'Are you one of these ftdlows, goin' about the., 
country baptizing babies ? If you. are, I don't 
believe in no sich." Of course, one might con- 
clude that the Pedo Baptists had not had much 
of a showing in that latitude. . 

' Xow, in order to show the contrast, in opinion, 
I will give an incident which took place up in 
tlie mountain region, and which placed me rath- 
er in a ludicrous position. It was on Saturday, 
evening that I made a visit to the family of a, 
relative, who were Episcopalians. They had a 
church building not far off, but no resident min-. 
liter, but I found a visiting min istar there, vvho 
was to preach at the church the next day, and the, 
rtiothers of, the babies that had been accumula- 
ting' there for some time were to -be on hand, and., 
make use 'of the opportunity to have them bap-, 
tized, and 'among the rest, was a married: daugh-. 
ter in the-tamily I was visiting. Of course,; L ex--; 
pected fo attend church with the family,; though-; 
I had never- witnessed the Episcopal ; ceremony in.^ 
baptizing infants. Well, on Sunday morning,!*, 
things were, astir,, all hands- getting ready to go to- 
church, wbe*r I was approached, by the married^ 
daughter rsayi^ngv^^o^sin Di, \ wish to ask afavoi^ 



im NORTH CAROLINA 123 

of you, but I don't know whether you will be 
willing to do it." Thinking perhaps she wished 
the use of my horse, vehicle, or something of the 
kind, I replied, ^'Certainly, cousin, anything lean 
do for you let me know." Then she said, '*I 
want you to stand god-father to my baby to-day." 
A clap of thunder out of a clear sky would hard- 
ly have surprised me much more. The god- 
father business was a new role for me to appear 
in ; so I told her, perhaps I might not attach as 
much importance to it as she did, and besides, it 
appeared to me as rather a droll piece of business 
for a Methodist to stand god -father to an Episco- 
palian baby, that he had never seen before, and 
might never see again. So I persuaded her to 
get a substitute, and w^ben in the ceremony; I 
found what the god-father was required to prom- 
ise for the child, I was glad I was .out of it. ,* 

I must not omit to notice one of the most sin- 
gular and mysterious personages who ever ap- 
peared in North Carolina. This was £i.ii cdd 
Frenchman who took up his residence in Rowan 
county, and engaged in teaching school. He was 
known as Peter Ney; and he was represented as 
a man of fine education and of noble bearing, but 
quite eccentric. He was not commuuicative in 
regard to himself. It was rumored that he was 
«ome distinguished man in his native country, 



124 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

and perhaps had to leave for some offence. He 
had no family, and I think he died in Rowan 
county. Then the story was circulated that he 
was the celebrated Marshal Ney, of Napoleon's 
army. But the strangest thing about it was, that 
according to history, Marshal Ney was court- 
martialed and shot, in France. But the mystery 
is cleared up, if the following statement is true : 
**That in carrying out the sentence of the court- 
martial, through the influence of the Masons, the 
muskets were loaded with blank cartridges, and 
"When the soldiers fired on Ney, he fell, according 
to the arrangement, and his body (not his corpse) 
was taken charge of by his friends, and he was 
conveyed away, and afterward came to America, 
and found his way to North Carolina. The truth 
of this statement is strengthened, from the fact 
that, quite recently, the subject has been brought 
1)efore the people in a lecture on Marshal Ney, 
In which the lecturer undertook to show that the 
old French school-master was thev eritable Mar- 
thai Ney; and if this be true, this ''truth is 
stranger than fiction." 

It has been said that "one half of the world 
don't know how the other half lives." And the 
saying is doubtless true, in its application to the 
two different sections of our state, where there is 
BO much ditference in their habits of life, &c., and 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 125 

where the people in one extreme section know 
very little about how they do live in the other 
section. It has been my lot, during past years, 
to be entertained in the mansions of the rich, and 
again to be seated at the table of the poor, with 
the house-pig under the table. 

It seems as if the law of compensation generally 
prevails, and where one section is deprived of ad- 
vantages possessed by another, they enjoy some 
other good things the other is deprived of. For 
example, in the eastern section of the state, they 
have mosquitoes, chills, and fever, and inferior 
water to drink. Rut they have an abundance of 
€sh, oysters, and the most beautiful and level 
roads to travel over. And in the mountain re- 
gion, while they are deprived of the good fish, 
oysters, &c., they have an abundance of the besc 
water, milk and butter, honey, fruit, &c. Take 
AS an example also Hatteras and Roanoke 
Islands. The soil there being mostly banks of 
sand, does not yield a support for the inhabitants, 
but their granary is in the water, and they have 
simply to get in their sail-boats, and go out into 
the waters of the sound, get a load of fish, oysters, 
&c., and run over to the nearest town or village, 
across the sound, and dispose of their cargo, and 
get their supply of provisions and groceries. 

To compensate for the barrenness of those 



136 SKETCHES OF LIFE 



islands, the country bordering them produces 
corn, rice, potatoes, &:•„ in abundance. But 
though Hatteras does not yield any food supply, 
it produces some articles of trade. There is an 
abundance of the Yaupon-trees growing there, 
and they gather quantities of the twigs and leaves, 
and kiln-dry them, and put them up for market, 
the tea of which is considerably used by the peo- 
ple in the lowlands. I remember years ago in 
the Albemarle region, I was present at a church, 
on Saturday of a sptrcial meeting, when at the 
close of the services a deacon arose and made the 
following announcement: "I will sny for the in- 
formation of the friends and brethren, that there 
is a vessel down at the creek loaded with oysters, 
yaupon and mullets." 

Another peculiar growth on Hatteras island is 
the palmetto, the same of which the * palm-leaf 
fans are rnnde. It grows in vast quantities there; 
a single stem springing out of the ground will 
expand, and flatten into great leaves, or fans, from 
three to five or six feet in length. Ifis a wonder 
some one has not gotten the idea of putting up a 
fan factory. There is yet another article of trade 
there. While trudging along through the sand 
one day, I met a boy with an ox-cart, loaded with 
bones, and on inquiry, found that they were por- 
poitse bones, that had been lying on the ocean 



IN NORTH CA ROLINA 127 



beach since the last fishing season. But where 
could a market be found for bones on that island ? 
Well, I found that thej were then engaged, and 
were on the way to be delivered to the captain of 
a schooner, anchored in the sound, which was there, 
to gather up the bones for one of the fertilizing, 
companies. 

We may judge that the men of wealth and; 
leisure, who come to the North Carolina coast to, 
shoot game, do not practice the methods em ployed 
by the natives. I learned while there, that their 
plan was to provide themselves with what they 
called ''hip breeches," which was simply a pair of. 
rubber boots, with legs reaching to the hips ; and 
having provided also one or more domesticated 
fowls, to be used as decoys, they would wade out 
into the shallow water of the sound, and, fastening 
the decoys to a stake, retire a few rods tu a blind,- 
ipade of bushes, and waiting until a gang of 
wild fowls were attracted to the place by the de-^ 
eoys, they would get a good shot at the whole 
gang. Sometimes, when they cannot have fowl^ 
for a d^coy, they substitute artificial ones. I came, 
axjross two very good imitation ducks, where I 
spent the night near the Pamlico Sound, made of 
wood, and which had been used as decoys. Ona 
bird peculiar to these waters is the sea-gull, 
people down there informed me that these little 



! I 



128 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

fowls feed on clams. But it would seem rather a 
puzzle how they manage to get at a clam, which 
is incased in a shell, fully as hard and thick as 
that of an oyster; but I was told that the gull 
first takes the clam in the beak, and flies with it 
high up in the air, and lets it drop upon the hard 
sandy beach, and repeats the operation if necessa- 
ry until the shell is broken, and then devours 
the clam. 

And I found on the Hatteras beach also the 
funniest little creature 1 ever saw, which they 
called a "Sand Fiddler." It had a shell body, a- 
bout the size and shape of a crab, with prominent 
tittle shiny black eyes, and very long legs, and a 
plenty of them, which were out of all proportion 
to the body. They were quick of motion, and 
eeemed able to run backward as well as forward. 
They lived m little holes dug in the sand, and 
would run into them on the appearance of any 
one, and if intercepted would turn and make for 
the water, when a rolling wave of the ocean would 
bide them from view. I don't know why they 
are called "fiddlers," for they seem better adapted 
to dancing than fiddling. 

The land lies so low in that sea-coast region, 
that while there is a plenty of water, there is no 
water-power; so they cannot have water-mills; 
but they construct wind-mills, which are buiit in 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 129 

the op3n QilJs wheie there are no trees to ob- 
struct the wind. Tlie mill-houses are of one sto- 
ry, and are built on one large post for a founda- 
tion, and made to turn on a pivot, so that the 
house, vvith its long arms and canvas wings, can 
be turned to suit the variation of the wind. As 
water obtained from wells there would ba too 
salty to drink, cistern or rain-water, generally ob- 
tained out of a trough placed under the eaves of 
the house, is used, a conch shell answering the 
purpose of a dipper. But they seem to be as 
contented and liappy as they are anywhere else, 
and they certianly are as religious as the people 
in any other part of the state. 

I visited Koanoke Island at the time of 
their Superior court, Manteo, the county seat of 
Dare, being on the Island, and I never before at- 
tended such a quiet and orderly court. The 
court was convened about 2 o'clock, P. M., on Mon- 
day, and adjourned the next day at about 5, P M. 
I inquired how it came about that such short 
sessions of court were held there, and the reply 
was, "No liquor is allowed to be sold on the 
island." So much for Prohibition in Dare coun- 
ty. I will note an incident here. On a visit 1 
made to the representative, who introduced the 
bill for local option in the legislature, be inform- 
ed me that after some controversy the opposition 



130 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

agreed to admit the bill, provided that an excep- 
tion be made in the case of the public house at 
Nag's Head, allowing them to furnish liquor to 
their guests during a stated period. So in this 
way the bill was passed. I will here note a trag- 
edy. Captain M., who lived on the island, was a 
useful man, and well disposed when sober, and 
he made a visit to Nag's Head about Christmas, m 
an open boat, by himself, and did not return 
home. The only intelligence that could be ob- 
tained in regard to him was, that after indulging 
in drink, he left Nag's Head late in the afternoon, 
for home, the winds being high. Of course the 
particulars could not be known, only he was a 
victim of Nag's Head whiskey. 

In contrast with the smooth running of the 
streams in the low-lands, the moving of the water 
being hardly perceptible, is the rushing and roar- 
ing of the streams over the rocks in the moun- 
tain region. In crossing the Blue Kidge once, I 
noticed a little grist-mill that had no dam or race, 
and was turned simply by tbe little stream run- 
ning down from the mountain, and pouring its 
volume of water upon the wheel. 

The beauty and grandeur of the mountain 
scenery of western North Carolina seems not ♦^o be 
appreciated or realized by the natives of that re- 
gion, perhaps from the fact that they have been 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 131 

familiarized with it all of their lives, while it 
strikes a stranger with all the force of its natural 
beauty. I do not remember ever beholding a 
more beaiitifnl spot than the valley of Pigeon 
River, in Haywood county, vvhere the stream, as 
clear as crystal, runs through the flat land farms, 
while the great mountains are piled up all around 
at a very short distance. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Lost in a mountin gor^e, in a pitch dark rainy nig:ht— 
A preacher in an awkward predicament — More 
personal experiences— An extraordinary **Fish 
Story," &c 

W^ WAS returning to my head -quarters, which 
^^ was four or five miles from the summit of 
South Mountain, and being on the opposite side 
of the mountain, had to cross it in order to reach 
there, which was by a little bridle path. I had 
reached the summit about sunset, and already a 
black cloud indicated an approaching rain-storm; 
but on I went, and soon the rain was pouring in 
torrents, while the night closed in upon me, and 
after getting about a mile down the mountain, 
I got out of the path, and dismounting and 
walking and stumbling over rocks, and brush, 
and trying in vain to get into the path, thv 



432 . SKETCHES OF LIFE 



prospect seemed fair for me to spend the 
viight ill that dark valley. I reiiiounted 
and sat in tlie saddle while the rain continued 
.to pour in torrents, and E<ry|)iian darkness 
prevailed around me. But finally I decided 
to retrace my steps to the top of the mountain, 
>vhere there was a settler, dei»ending on my hoi'se 
to keep the path, I reached the summit safe- 
ly. I rode up to a log cabin, and was received 
out of the rain, my horse being stabled in a rail- 
l)en. I^ut the prospect was a poor one for lodg- 
ing, for the house was occupied by two families, 
and there were only two beds, and I could not 
expect to liave a bed to sleep in ; so I leaned my 
seat back against the ladder, that was used as a 
stair- way to "the loft," and putting one arm be- 
tween the rounds, and locking my hands together 
I fixed myself the best I could for a nap. But 
after awhile tlie man of the house approached me, 
and insisted on my lying down, saying they bad 
fixed a place for rue; and I laid down, not know- 
ing exactly h.ow many bed-fellows they expected 
me to have ; but the man occupied the bed with 
me, while nis wife sat up by the fire all night. 
This was unsurpassed hospitality. Of course 
they were very poor people, and I left by day- 
l.igl]t next morning, and went down the mountain, 
ivaching mv destination in time for breakfast. 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 133 



If a man travels much, his experience, no donbt, 
will have a tendency to increase his faith in a 
special Providence, and that God's care is extend- 
ed over *'the stran^ier." An incident occurred in 
my experience, which, if not a providence, was a 
happy co-incidence. It was immediately after the 
surrender, and I was passing over the Sandy 
Mush mountain on horse-hack. I had picked up 
a canteen stopper in the road, by which I knew 
that returning soldiers had passed over the moun- 
tain. My thoughts turned to the fact that T had 
lost my pocket-knife, and I felt the need of one 
very much. Then the thought came into mind, 
*'Why couldn't I find a knife?" And the desire 
arose in my mind so strong that I determined to 
begin looking for one ; so, turning side- ways in 
my saddle, and leaning over, I fixed my eyes on 
the foot-path by the side of the road, and so rode 
on slowly down the mountain; but I think I had 
not gone a quarter of a mile before my eyes fell 
on a good size pocket-knife, lying in the path, 
and I alighted, without any surprise, and put the 
knife in my pocket. How strange that my 
thoughts should be turned to the subject of a* 
pocket-knife, just before reaching the place where- 
one was lying in the path ! 

In another part of the state an incident occur- 
red within my knowledge, in which a preacher 



134 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

was placed in the most awkward predicament, 
perhaps in view of delivering a discourse, of any 
case on record. He had lield a special meeting in 
the vicinity of a North Carolina town, and on 
closing it, on Sunday afternoon, made an appoint- 
ment to preach at night in a church in the town, 
aud supper time found him at the table of the 
pastor of the church. After supper, having made 
a hasty call, he started for the church, and while 
some distance off, the second bell was ringing. 
To save time he made a bee line for the church, 
through back streets and by-ways, when he came 
to a bluff, and down into a flat; and making a 
step on what he took to be a smooth sandy plain, 
he found himself on his all-fours, in a slough of 
mire and muddy water, an I getting out with feet 
and ankles, hands and wrists covered with mire, 
hurried on, and in that plight found himself at 
the entrance to the church, in which was the 
waiting congregation. It would be hard to find 
a more awkward dilemma for a preacher to be in 
for discoursing to a congregation, especially when 
as yet he had no text selected. But it was the 
work of a few moments to hasten across the street 
to a well, where was a bucket of water, and 
scooping it up v/ith his hands, to wash off the 
worst of the mud. Then walking into the church 
where the pastor was waiting for him, he request- 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 135 

ed him to conduct the preliminary exercises, dur- 
ing which time he found a text; and the dis- 
course was delivered, the congregation being none 
the wiser for what had happened. Perhaps to 
make this an honest narrative, it is proper to say 
that the actor in that scene was this vvriter. 

I will give an incident, showing what a con- 
trast there is in character, even between members 
of the same family. I called at a house, the 
home ot an old lady and her grown daughter, and 
both came out to meet me, and on inquiry I found 
that the daughter had a bible, but she said she 
would like to get a hymn book, and thinking I 
might advise her in regard to getting one, I in- 
quired what kind she wanted. She said **Primi- 
tive Baptist" was the kind she wanted. "0!" 
said I, "I didn't know there were any of that. de- 
nomination about here." "0 yes," she said, "there 
are a good many of them about here, and they 
have a church about a mile off." Then I said to 
the old lady, "That is a very small denomination, 
and they are put down in history as becoming ex- 
tinct;" and added that I had known one of their 
preachers, who was a man of some education, and 
of influence, in the adjoining counties, and that 
had it not been for him, there would not have 
been so many of them in that section of country.' 
This rather nettled her, and turning upon her' 



13() ISK ETCHES OF LIFE 



heel, she U^ft me, saylog "YouM better said if it 
hadn't been for Goddle Mighty." Tiien the 
daughter s})oke in a soft, mild manner, saying 
that she was partial to that denominatioii, and 
that her fatlier was a Primitive preacher. So I 
found I had been talking to the widow of a Hard 
Shell preacher, and concluded that 1 had better 
beat a retreat ; but I was much impressed with 
the contrast in disposition between the mother 
^nd daughter, 

. On another occasion I came across another 
family, where I think I made a better impression, 
and doubtless did some good. I called at the 
house about night, and requested lodging, the 
family consisting of a widow and a grown son and 
daughter. The young man at first made some 
excuse, but the sister interposed in my behalf, 
und 1 was taken in. On going to the supper ta- 
ble tiie daughter, on learning that I was engaged 
in the work of the Bible Society, said she used to 
i;ead the bible, and was a member of the church, 
hut she had gotten into trouble, and had quit 
reading it. I told her the bible should not be 
neglected, but should be sought for consolation, 
^c. The conversation was continued afterward, 
around the fireside, and I told her that our trials 
vyould result in good to us, if we would bear 
Uiem in a proper maniier; and i referred lier to 



IJ^ NORTH CAROLINA 137 

the 12th chapter of Hebrews, trying to make a 
proper application of it. After awhile I heard 
her say to her mother, "Ma, I wouldn't have had 
this man to miss stopping here for five dollars." 
Kext morning, before T left, having become more 
free and unreserved, she gave me the particulars 
in regard to her trouble. She had been engaged 
to be married to a young man, the time had ar- 
rived for the marriage, and the supper was pre- 
pared, when he failed to appear, proving false to 
his engagement. And when I learned that the 
young man was inclined to dissipation, and that 
there was a streak of insanity in his family, I told 
the young lady that I was sure she would live to 
see the day when she would thank the Lord that 
she had escaped from being tied to such a man. 

I have hardly ever met with an outspoken a- 
theist or infidel, in my travels, though in a few 
instances I have found one pretending to be such. 
While so many claiming to believe in the Christ- 
ian religion are immoral in their lives, it would 
be absurd to expect one who rejects it to possess 
anything like a decent morality. On one occasion 
I came up to a store kept by a young man, who 
on learning my business, came out to me saying, 
"I want a Bible," adding a profane expression. 
"Yes" said I, No doubt you need one very badly, 
and I would recommend you to study the ten 



138 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

Commandments the first thing, especially the 
one forbidding to take the name of God in vain." 
He said, "who is God?" "Well sir," said I, "He 
is represented in the BiSle to be the great self- 
existing and eternal I am, inlinifce in wisdom, 
power, and goodness. That is about all we can 
know of Him ; and now, if you assume to under- 
stand all about Him you will be about equal to 
Him and be a god yourself." I then told him I 
knew what was the matter with him, tliat he had 
been reading some infidel stuff that had been re- 
futed again and again. He admitted that he liad 
been reading Voltaire. On leaving him he ex- 
pressed a wish to have more talk with me here- 
after, and wherever I met him he was very re- 
spectful toward me. I will add that an acquaint- 
ance of his told me, that when he was at College 
he had made a profession of religion, and had 
charge of a class in the Sabbatli School. 

About the hardest criticism of our country's 
noted infidel, is by H. L. Hastings author and 
publisher of Boston. One of the Christian Ad- 
vocates quotes him thus: "I have heard of a man 
traveling around the country exploding the Bi- 
ble, and showing up the mistakes of Moses, at 
two hundred dollars a night. It is easy to abuse 
Moses, at two hundred dollars a night, especially 
as Moses is dead, and cannot talk back. After 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 139 

liearitig the 'iiiistakes of Moses/ it would be in- 
teresting to bear a military leader and legislator 
like 'Moses the man of God/ who after be was 
eighty years old commanded for forty years an 
army of six hundred thousand men, emancipa- 
ting, organizing, and giving laws to a nation, 
which has maintained its existence for more than 
thirty stormy centuries, give his candid opinion 
concerning the 'mistakes' of a 'Colonel' of cav- 
alry whose military career is said to have inclu- 
ded one single engagement, in which 'he was 
chased into a hog yard, and surrendered to a boy 
of sixteen/ after which, as soon as exchanged, 
he heroically resigned bis commission in the face 
of the enemy, subsequently turning his attention 
to managing swindling whiskey rings, discussing 
theology, defending scoundrels, blaspheming God, 
aad criticizing dead men who cannot answer 
him." 

Perhaps the most extraordinary occurrence in 
my experience, is what I will call a "fish story," 
and happened in my youthful days. I was very 
fond of fishing with hook and line, and late one 
evening I took a line with a single book on it, 
and baiting it, put it in a mill-race near by, tying 
the line to a bush on the margin, thinking I 
might fiud a fish on it the next morning. On 
going there in the morning and taking up the 



140 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

hook, I found two fish on it, a cat-fish and an eel. 
They were tangled and twisted into a bundle or 
knot, the eel being coiled around the cat-fish. 
After considerable trouble in untwisting the tan- 
gled knot, I found that the hook was in the eel's 
mouth, while the cat-fish was strung on the line, 
through his gills ! I looked at the spectacle with 
astonishment, and was perplexed to know how 
such a thing could have happened. Finally I 
decided that there could be but one way to solve 
the mystery, viz that the baited hook v/as discov- 
ered by both fish at the same time, that the cat- 
fish got it first, and in his eagerness to swallow 
it, it slipped through his gills, and that the eel 
seized it immediately, and svf allowed it. If it 
did not happen in this way, how did it happen ? 
And did any one ever know of two fish being 
caught on a single hook at the same time? 

Here I will mention a very curious fact in an- 
imal life, namely, a dog that crows like a rooster. 
He is a small dog, and his owner lives only a few 
miles from my home, and brought him here the 
other day, while on a visit. I learn that it was 
not natural with the dog to crow, but he acquired 
it by imitation ; and so, after awhile, succeeding 
so well in his mimicry, when the rooster crowed 
he would crow also. Let us give three cheers for 
the little dos: Dash. 



IN NORTH C ABO LIN A 141 

Most of our readers perhaps have read of Jas- 
per, the negro preacher in Richmond, and what 
amusement he has afforded the people by his per- 
sistence in setting fortli his belief "that the earth 
does not turn ovei', but that the sun moves a- 
round the earth." But every one is not aware 
that there are a number of grown-up white peo- 
ple in Xorth Carolina who believe the same thing; 
and they are the good pious ones too, v/ho believe 
so, and they appeal to the Bible for proof of it, 
their choseu scripture being the account of Josh- 
ua commanding the sun to stand still. They 
seem to lose sight of the fact that the miracle of 
stopping the rotation of the earth would answer 
the purpose of Joshua without his understanding 
Astronomy. 

One IS represented as saying, that if the earth 
does move "the Lord would have told us so in 
the Bible." It would be equally as good reason- 
ing to say that if the Lord had wanted us to 
know^ Arithmetic he would have put the multi- 
plication table in the Bible. The old adage may 
come in here: "If ignorance is bliss, tis folly to 
be wise." 

In my travels a few years ago, I spent the night 
with a man who was the greatest curiosity in the 
way of a bald-headed man I ever saw. He had 
not a single hair on his head or face, not even 



143 8KETCHE8 OF LIFE 



any eye-brows or eye-lashes. On inquiry 1 learn- 
ed that he, and a brother, when tliey grew up, 
liad each a good head of hair, but botli took a cu- 
rious kind of disease, and all i\\Av hair came out, 
and never grew out any more. 

x\nd anothiCr rare" curiosity, to me, I found a- 
bout the same time in passing down from the 
mountain country. I was spending the night 
with a family of young people, the man being a- 
bout twenty five years old, and liis wife, I judge, 
not much over twenty. She said they had been 
married five years, and on asking her how many 
children she had, she said, "eight in all," which 
rather sur[)rised me, but going to give particulars, 
after naming her first born, she said, "One time 
there were twins, and another time there were 
FOUR." That struck me rather with wonder, 
for I never, in all my travels, had come across 
such a family as that. But she assured me that 
she had four living boy children born at one time. 
It is such an uncommon case it will not be out of 
place to say that the lady in question was the 
wife of Mr P^iyne, who lived near the Island-Ford 
oji the Catawba river. 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 14S 



CHAPTER XV. 

Some experience!? in the mountains about the close of 
the war — Evading a controversy — Incidents of 
the Prohibition campaign of ISSi. 

'[NCE my last visit to tlie mountain region, 
and the line of Kailroad lias been extend- 
ed there,, much advancement has been made in 
almost evory line. Asheville, as I remember it, 
was only a little village, about like the average 
County seat. During the war there was not as 
much quiet among the citizens as in other parls 
of the state, for sometimes the territory would be 
occupied by Federal troops, and the Confederates 
would be refugees, and again the Confederates 
would come in, and the Union men would leave 
and go inside of the Federal lines; and so the 
people lived in a state of unrest, though as neigh- 
bors, they lived in as much friendship with each 
other as anywhere in the state, where they differ- 
ed in sentiment, in regard to the war; and I will 
ever bear in mind their charity in this respect. 

Of course general education had been neglected, 
and many were illiterate. I visited a man who 
was a licensed preacher down toward the Tennes- 
see line, and seeing that he had a few books on a 
little shelf, I asked him what kind of books he 
had. He said he had the Bible and Hymn book, 



144 SKETCHES OF LIFE 



and the "Tracts Amtresock." The iiame strik- 
ing me as a novelty in the book line, I asked him 
to let me see it, and he handed me down a vol- 
ume of bound Tracts, published by the American 
Tract Society, and as there was not room on the 
back for the whole title, it was abbreviated thus, 
"Tracts. Am. Tr. Soc," which he called "Amtre- 
sock," and his wife said, "Its a mighty fine book, 
the Amtresock is ; we like it mightly." 

The region around Asheville used to be famous 
for runaway marriages, and as the territory was oc- 
cupied by the South Carolina and the Holston Con- 
ferences, quite a number of the Metliodist preach- 
ers married in that county. An old minister, who 
had married and settled in Buncombe, told me 
that circuit was known among them as the mar- 
rying circuit. 

Tt is a fact that the people of the upper part of 
the state are naturally more excitable than they 
are in the lowlands. This is observed in relig- 
ious revivals, the people in the western part of 
the state manifesting much more emotional feel- 
ing. I have been struck mith some of the rare 
expressions, of a figurative character, I have 
heard from some of the old brothers in the moun- 
tains, during their religious exercises. In a 
prayer meeting I heard one pray that the Lord 
would give them a "Benjamin's mess" and an- 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 145 

other that he would "give them a kid to make 
merry with their friends." 

The use of the expressions, "we uns" and "you 
uns" has been referred to by others, and I hare 
noticed another phrase used by persons in their 
salutations of each other. In response to the in- 
quiry, "how are you ?" instead of saying, "I am 
well," they will say, "Fm stout." I once heard 
the following salutation and response. A neigh- 
bor approaching a house, to a woman at the door; 
"Good mornin; how's you uns." The reply was, 
"We uns are stout, are you uns stout?" 

There used to be one peculiar article of trade 
in the mountains, which was ginseng root, that^ 
grew wild in the woods. It was dug by the 
country people, and sold to the merchants, who 
shipped it, its destination bemg China, where it 
was in great demand. The people called it 
"Sang," and I have seen women and children 
coming to the store with little sacks of it, asking, 
"Do you want any sang ?" And the merchant 
would give them the price they paid for green 
and for dry sang. 

In the valley of Pigeon River there was a man, 
who was a Universalist ; and he was very active 
in circulating his "no-future-punishment," and 
"no-hell" literature in the community; and 
learning'of his movements, on my ^visit to the 



146 SKET0BE8 OF LIFB 



dhiirch in that vicinity, I published that on my 
next monthly visit I would discourse on the "ev- 
erlasting punishment of the wicked in the world 
io come." In the mean time I learned that the 
TJn iversal is t referred to was a considerable cou' 
troversialist, was very over-bearing, and had ob- 
truded himself on a former preacher at thkt 
church. Well, when I reached the church on 
the appointed day, I found that he was ' present, 
and his disciples, and quite a large congregation, 
though I had never torraed any acquaintance 
with him. Beforegoing into the church, a youhg 
man took me* aside, and informed me that it was 
reported in the vicinity that the Universalist Was 
tfi be there that day and 'reply to me. I stated • 
tb the congregation, before com ftienciffg "the 6er- * 
vices, that I expected simply to do what I proin-'' 
ised to do, namely, to deliver a discourse on future' 
piunishment, after which the services H^rould be 
closed. The discourse was delivered, the congfe-- 
gation dismissed; and with saddlebags in Hand,' 
I was making my way out of the church, wheti pn' 
reaching the door the Universalist approached- 
m<g smilingly, saying, "As no one will inttbdutje . 
me to ydu, I will introduce myself;" and ais Sokjri ' 
as he cotiTd begin with any show . of decency, ' 
while the surrounding croWd waited to see what 
th'e outcome would be, he" Said, "Only one sid& 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 147 

has been heard to-day." la reply I said, **I can 
decide the matter in two minutes. I have just 
discoursed oil the subject, and said all that 1 
have-to say at present, and you can preach on it 
too when you get ready." He said he**couldn'tget 
a congregation to hear him." "Well," said I, *'I. 
can't help that," and thusi leaving him, I went off 
with a brother to dinner. I will say that the 
plan adopted to rid myself of the adversary wasr 
approvied of by the people. 

During. the campaign for Prohibition in our. 
state in 1831, my home was in the middle section 
of the state, and in a cammunity where there waa? 
much of the Anti-prohibition element, embracing 
"lewd fellows of the baser sort," who werevio-.- 
lent in .their.abuse of the friends of temperance ; : 
and prohibition, and anti-prohibition meetinga 
were held in the. country around. I will note 
some incidents that may have an influence on the 
side of truth. An an ti- prohibition naeeting waS: 
held nearly at my door, the orator of the day be- 
ing a lawyer of dissipated habits, who not long af- 
terward died a victim of 'strong drink. While 
the subject is a grave one, (and who can doubt it, 
when se many are being brought to the grave by 
iutemperence,) I will give rather a humorous in- . 
cident. At the time an anti-prohibition rally 
was held in the town of Oxford, I met an old 



148 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

darkey on the street, and he delivered himself on 
this wise : "No, ear, I aint a gwine to hab my 
rights taken away from me ; I been read in my 
Bible bout Esau dat sold his birth-right for a 
mess oi partridges \ and when I told him it was 
pottage, and not partridges, he said, "Well, I 
bin read it so in my Bible." JSome of these anti's 
were so illiterate they called prohibition "proba- 
tion.** 

A prohibition meeting was held in the north- 
ern part of the county, participated in by t»vo 
well known lawyers of Oxford, and several minis- 
ters, a noted distiller, he of course, an anti-pro- 
hibitionist also, being present. Well, after all of 
the speakers had made addresses giving their 
reasons for prohibition, one of the lawyers, Mr. 
v., arose, and said, if there was any anti-prohibi- 
tionist present, who objected to what had been said, 
he had the privilege of speaking ; and Mr. T., the 
distiller arose, and spoke zealously against prohi- 
bition, but unfortunately referred to the Script- 
ures, saying there was no such thing as prohibi- 
tion in the Bible, and when he had finished his 
speech, Mr. V. arose to reply; and then came 
the skinning. The speaker called attention to 
the fact that the first law ever enacted for the 
government of mankind was a prohibition law, 
namely, that given to Adam in Eden, "Thou 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 149 



shalt not eat of that tree." &c ; and that the 
first anti-prohibitionist in the world was the 
devil, who came along and told Eve, "You won't 
die sure enough. The Lord knows that this 
fruit will just make you wise, and be as gods, 
and then you'll be about equal to him. He just 
wants to take away your privileges. So the 
devil was the first one in the world to set himself 
against God's prohibition law." Then the speak- 
er, referring to Mr. T., said, "he has more prohibi- 
tions laid on him than any man in this county. 
I don't say that Mr. T, will steal, but the gov- 
ernment presumes that he will, and employs a 
man to watch him, and measure every drop of 
liquor he makes, and he doesn't have the control 
of his own distillery, the government agent is 
holding the key ; and all these prohibitions are 
laid upon Mr. T." 

Rev. Mr. H., one of the speakers, gave an inci- 
dent, showing the ruinous effects of strong drink. 
He said he had married an amiable young woman, 
to a young man of fine promise, and they began 
house-keeping with good prospects of a happy, 
life ; but after awhile he began to drink a little,: 
and the habit grew on him until he becanae a 
confirmed drunkard. The speaker then said that : 
on one occasion he was passing the home of that- 
once happy couple, and as he came near to the 



1.5Q SKETCHES OF LIFE 

house, he heard a noise, and the door opened,, and 
he saw that man kick his wife out of the house, 
and down the steps ; and she approached him 
and begged him to protect her from the man that 
strong drink had changed from a husband to a 
dembn ! 



CHAPTER XVI. 

T)ae status of Christianity in N. C— How far, as a peo- 
ple, are we Christianized ? — The optimistic and 
the pessimistic of things. 

pUpHATEVERmay be said of the state of 
§j|f|P Society in North Carolina, is true, more, 
or less, of 'any other section of our country. 
Within the borders of our state iire more than 
twenty of what are known as orthodox denomina- 
tions, whose ministers preach the gospel to the 
people in every section of the state, and embrace 
jierhaps over half a million of church members, 
with thousands of organized Sabbath Schools,; 
Missionary and other benevolent societies, . with 
missionaries laboring in foreign l^nds, while, 
every year thousands of converts are reported as 
the result of the labors of the different pastors,,^ 
tthd evangelists. ' This view of things would iii-:;: 



...,.., JEMRTHCABOiJ^^^^ 151 

dicate the complete evangelizatiau of the j^epgle 
of the whole state ait' an early day. j^ .,..■, 

But there are some adverse facts to be consid- 
ered. First, is the development of Christian char- 
acter in the.cfiurches, "equal to the ratio of the 
converts reportied ? Who can gay that it is ? It 
cannot be expected that new converts will begin 
a Christian life on "a.* higher plan e^ than they finijl 
in the church when they come into Jt. Query, 
how far is the irembei'ship of the churches ad- 
vanced in the jorac^ice of wliat Christ taught a? 
the standard of Christian duty? How far is the 
golden rule observed !? And which predominatefi 
In' the life of the average professor of Christianity, 
the self denial enjoitiecl, or self indulgence? 

Of course, the religion of the present day is 
fashionable, and popular, and walks in "silve^ 
slippers," or rather in many cases in ^^gold slip-: 
pers," and no one is persecuted on account of re- 
ligion, or for the want of it. Toleration prevails,: 
and a little too much of it, perhaps, for there are 
evils tolerated that ought not to be. It is a telling 
fact that corporations, controlled by so caljeS 
Chnstian men, grossly and wilfully violate the 
holy Sabbath. The Sunday railroad trains, as 
they go thundering along, proclaim their disre-, 
gard of the laws of God. And the rottenness of , 
what is called "Society," with its punctilious ob- 



152 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

servance of tbe rules of etiquette, is continually 
showing itself by the scandals which indicate the 
immoralities practiced in social life, even among 
those who have had a standing as members of 
popular churches. And an example of this kind 
is now being exhibited to the world by a scan- 
dalous civil suit at the Capital of the Nation. 
And the record of crime to-day is unsurpassed in 
the history of the country. 

Why is there such a demoralization of society 
in this land of Bibles and of churches ? As an 
evidence of how far below the standard of Apos- 
tolic Christianity we are, mark the deliverance of 
the Apostle, in 1 Cor. 5 : 11. Here Christians 
are forbidden to fellowship such characters as far 
as to keep company with or to eat with them. 
And are not these sins so popular that they are 
pot recognized, and in many cases retained in the 
church ? Is it not a standing reproach, that in 
this country, which has reached the highest in- 
telligence, such scandalous sins prevail as the 
heathens were rebuked for by the New Testament 
writers ? 

Although the gospel has been so fully preach- 
ed throughout the country, there must be a good 
jdeal of ignorance and self delusion prevailing a- 
«iong those professing Christianity. Is it possi- 
ble that a man can be an idolater and not know 



m NORTH CAROLINA 153 

it? And yet the Apostle declai-es that "Cov- 
etoiisness is idolatry." And this sin leads to ex- 
tortion, as well as to other sins, and is classed by 
the Apostle with drunkenness and theft; yet I 
never heard of any one being arraigned before 
any church on such a charge, though the apos- 
tle declares that such shall not inherit the King- 
dom of God." See 1 Cor. 6, 10. 

Where is the dividing line between the world 
and the church ? If it is not wMiere the worldly 
drink, and dance, and indulge in the vain 
extravagances of fashionable life, where is it? 
And if in all these things professing Christians 
conform, where is their identity as *'a peculiar 
people?" Is the world in the church, or the 
church in the world ? I will call attention here 
to a discrepancy between what is New Testament 
morals, and that which is recognized in our coun- 
try by society general 1}^, namely, that a woman is 
required to possess a higher standard of moral 
character than a man, in order to be received into 
society. The word of God declares that, "His 
ways are equal," and that "He is no respecter of 
persons." Then he makes no distinction be- 
tween a male and a female sinner ; and both are 
accepted of God on the same conditions. The 
same sin that will exclude a woman from heaven, 
will exclude a man, and in the final judgmei.t 



154 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

Christ will make ono distinction between a he 
goat and a she goat. Then what right has any 
set of people to make a different rule in regard to 
male and female character ? AVomen have it 
much in their power to remedy this thing. When 
they require of men the same standard of moral 
character, m order to receive them as associates, 
as men require of them, then may they have 
more influence over them for good, and start a re- 
formation along this line. 

I will relate an incident which affords a good 
example of moral courage in a young lady. It 
is related "that there was a young man of wealth, 
but of dissipated habits, who imagined that any 
girl would be glad to have his company, and on a 
public occasion he approached the lady in ques- 
tion, and offered her his arm. While she was a 
strong temperance advocate, she was a girl in 
humble circumstances ; but jhe sim})ly drew back 
from the young man, saying, 'I thank you, sir, I 
make it a rule never to poke my arm through a 
jug handle.' " 

It will doubtless be accepted as a truth, that 
where the religion of Christ is established more 
fully, there woman is most respected and honor- 
ed, and where demoralization prevails she is tho 
principal sufferer. Since I have been in North 
Carolina, there has been a record of many crimes, 



/lY NORTH CAROLINA 155 

that have passed out of memory, but there are oth- 
ers which have occurred, which can never be effaced 
from the memory. It seems really a crime great 
enough, for a man to blast the character of a 
young girl, destroying her hopes of happiness for 
this life, and then forsake her; but it is a crime 
of diabolical and peculiar atrocity, when the 
criminal, in order to get her out of his way, de- 
coys her from her home, under the pretense of 
marrying her, and in cold blood murders the de- 
fenseless one. 

There is a tragedy of this kind in the annals of 
North Carolina, which occurred m past years, 
and which is commemorated in the name of Nao- 
mi Falls, on Deep River, in Randolph county, 
which is so named in memory of Naomi Wise, 
who was drowned in the River there by Jonathan 
Lewis ; and Naomi was buried in sight of the 
Falls, and only a few hundred yards distant from 
the village and Cotton mills of the "Naomi 
Falls Manufacturing Co." The memory of Nao- 
mi Wise has also been kept alive in the minds of 
the people in the country, by the Song of "Poor 
Naomi." From published accounts, I will give 
a short sketch. 

Naomi Wise was an orphan girl of some nine- 
teen years of age, and has been described as a 
beautiful girl of medium size, handsome figure, 



156 SKETCUES OF LIFE 

expressive countenance, ;ind winninf]^ miinners. 
She lived as Ji domestic in the fVimiiy of aconntry 
farmer. Among her visitors and admirers was 
Jonathan Lewis, who belonged to a daring and 
reckless family. Pie gained the affections of 
N.tomi, and she fnlly confided in him. Bnt in 
the mean time he liad a flattering prospect of a 
marriage with' a young lady of superior fntnre 
and station ; and tiie rumor having been started 
of his relation vvitli Naomi which was calculated 
to damage his prospects with the young lady in 
question, he made up his mind to get rid of Nao- 
mi. Then the powers of hell posessed his soul, 
and he became "a devil incarnate." So he called 
on Naomi, pretending to wish to marry her with- 
out delay, and agreed to take her to a magistrate 
for that purpose. They met at the spring that 
evening, according to agreement, and she mount- 
ed on the horse behind him. Bu^ instead of 
making his way to the house of the magistrate, 
he carried her to the Falls of Deep Eiver, and 
riding into the stream, he threw her from the 
horse into the rushing waters, where no doubt he 
thought she would sleep and disturb In'm no 
more. But the sentence had gone forth, "Be sure 
your sin will find you out," and the cries of Nao- 
mi were heard near by, and messengers were sent 



IN NORTH CAROLINA loT 

to the river, and her lifeless body vvus drawn out 
of the water. 

The guilt of Lewis was fully established, and 
he was imprisoned in the jail at Asheboro, to a- 
wait his trial. But lie soon escaped from his 
prison and fled to the west, and remained 
there a number of years, but they ^ot on his 
track, and had him rearrested and brought back 
to North Carolina for trial. He was acquited, as 
there were not living witnesses to convict him, and 
he returned to his home in the wesc. But liis 
'•damnation slumbered not,'' and he died soon 
afterward. Perhaps it may be a wholesome thing 
to give some account of his last hours. "After 
all hope of his recovery was given up, he still 
lingered. He seemed to suff'er beyond human 
conception. The contortions of his face were too 
horrid to behold. His groans were appalling to 
the ear. For two days the death rattle had been 
in his throat, and N'et he retained his reason and 
his spt-ech. Finally, he bade every person leave 
the room but his father, and to him he confessed 
all the circumstances detailed. He declared that 
while in prison Naomi was ever before him. His 
sleep was broken by her cries for mercy, and in 
the dim twilight her shadowy form seemed pres,^ 
ent with him, holding up her imploring hands. 
Thus ended the career of Jonathan Lewis. No 



lo8 tSKETCHES OF LIFE 

sooner was his confession ended, than his soul 
seemed to hasten away ; yet not away from the 
hell that burned within him, but doubtless to 
that hell which has been prepared for the devil 
and his angels." 

The song of "poor Naomi" contains eight stan- 
zas, an<l thoui^h not possessing any literary merit 
tvvo stanzas of it will be given here as a speci- 
men. 

'Come, all you good people, I'd have you draw near; 
A sorrowful story you quicklv shall liear; 
A story I'll tell you of Naomi Wise, 
How she was deluded by Lewis's lies. 

Naomi was mis^iui^ they all did \\i-\\ know, 

And hunting for her to the river did go ; 

And there found her floating on the waters so deep, 

Which caused all ihe people to sigh and to weep." 

A superstition prevailed among the people of 

the vicinity, that in the dusk of evening a song 

may be heard about the river, in accents low and 

sweet, beginning ; 

"Beneath these crystal waters, 
A maiden once did lie. &c. 

In more recent years the vicinity of Deep River 
witnessed a similar crime, and poor Martha Pin- 
nix was the victim. She too confided in one who 
decoyed her from her home, and instead of going 
to her marriage, she was shot through the head. 
And though the best talent of the bar could not 
evade the evidence of the murderer's guilt or 



IN NORTH CAROLINA lo» 

shield him from conviction, and the death sen- 
tence, yet he escaped from prison and fled to a 
foreign country. 

Again, another such case occurred of more re- 
cent date, and Peggy Isely was the victim. She 
likewise thought she was going to her marriage, 
and left home with her deceiver, and afterward 
parts of her remains were found in a burnt log- 
heap in the low-griunds of her murderer. He 
was tried and convicted, and I was present when 
he expiated his crime on the gallows. Some 
noted circumstances happened in connection with 
that execution. One incident verities the fact 
that crime often proves its own detective. After 
the murdered woman had been missing for some 
weeks, a few persons were gathered at a house in 
the neighborhood, and the murderer not yet sus- 
pected, being present, some one remarked how 
strange it was that nothing could be heard of the 
missing woman, when he said; *'You just as well 
try to make out like I had killed her and burnt" 
— and, bethinking himself, cut short the sentence. 
But it was enough, and getting the idea of the 
woman being burnt, search was made, resulting 
in evidence of her being murderered, and burnt 
in the losf-heap. AVhile there was not the least 
doubt of the guilt of the convicted man, he de- 
clared under the gallows that he had nothing to do 



160 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

Avith the murder "in any manner, shape or form." 
And a Hardshell preacher held religions services 
■over him, and laying his hand on his head, said, 
from what he had told him of his experience 
n)ore than twenty years before, '*! have no donbt 
but lie is a child of ^race." What a ridiculous 
doctrine to proclaim to a crowd, perhaps of a 
thousand people, that the cold-blooded murder of 
a defenseless woman cannot hii:der a man from 
being "a child of grace." In this case the crimi- 
nal had been raised nnder the same kind of a 
creed, and had been heard to say that he believed 
that every man had an nnalterable destiny, and if 
any one felt inclined to do anything he might 
just as well do it, for it would not alter his desti- 
ny at all. 

, The brutal murder of Miss Turlington, and 
the mysterious disappearance of the accused, also 
a deaf mute, is fresh in the minds of the people; 
and a still later victim was Ellen Smith, whose 
murderer was executed recently, at Winston. 
These murderers of helpless women were not of 
the illiterate class, and most of them were of 
rather prominent families. Surely, no greater 
criminals were ever born in North Carolina. 



IN NORTH CAHOLINA 161 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Hindrances to the advancement of Christianity in our 
own country— The tollies and vices of society at 
the present day. 

iS'^^'SIDERING that the gospel is preached 
^M so fully from so many pulpits, and so 
muiy means of gracp are afibrded to every class 
of people, the general demoralization of society 
must be the result of counteracting and demoral- 
izing influences outside of the pulpit and the 
Sabbath School. What are these influences? 
First of all must ba noticed, defective family 
govern m3!it and train ins: of the young. In many 
families ther-' is no religious instruction afford- 
ed, and the want of family government is so plain- 
ly visible, th it the scripture injunction, '-Cliild- 
ren, obey your parents," would have to be trans- 
posed into "Parents, obey your children," to suit 
the prajt;c3 in many families, where the pa- 
rents obey their children more than the children 
obey them. The fact is, the children of this gen- 
eration are allowed to assume the habits of men 
an 1 women entirely too early, and boys, especial- 
ly, are brought under bad influences, outside of 
home, which the parents are innocent of, and if 
they are not careful to know where they go, and 
what company they are in, perhaps it will not be 



162 SKETOEES OF LIFE 

long before they will inquire sorrowfully, "Where 
is my wandering boy to-night?" 

Another bad influence exercised upon our 
youth is the vicious literature. Parents should 
watch, and see what kind of circulars ard papers 
their children get from the post-office. See the 
notices in the so called literary papers, published 
in New England and elsewhere, offering to send 
^'sealed circulars," &c. An idea may be formed 
of how much of this poisonous literature is circu- 
lated from the reports of x\nthony Comstock, the 
agent of the "Society for the prevention of Vice." 
The intoxicated boy of fourteen or fifteen years, 
or the cigarette smoker of ten years, indicates 
what the future harvest will be unless there is a 
reformation along this line. 

In considering the follies and vices of our day, 
let us begin with those habits where there is tlie 
least appearance of evil. There has been recent- 
ly established in eastern North Carolina, a "chew- 
ing gum factory," turpentine being the chief in- 
gredient used in the manufacture of the article. 
This indicates the prevailing habit of gum chew- 
ing, which prevails mostly among the young, 
though not altogetlier confined to them. I re- 
member on one occasion in Eastern North Caro- 
lina I called at a house, and the old lady came 
out to meet me, while she was vigorously chew- 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 1G3 

iiig gum, and after awhile a grown daughter came 
into the room, and she was chewing it also, and 
then the old man came from the fiehl, and as he 
approached, behold, he was chewing it too. This 
gum-chewing seems like an innocent habit, and 
the gum a healthy article, but the excessive exer- 
cise of the glands of the throat will exhaust the 
saliva, and after awhile the result may be indi- 
gestion and dyspepsia. But there is a ludicrous 
side of the business; '*Say, Mister," said a little 
child, to a man who had charge of a number of 
cattle that were chewing the cud, "do you have 
to buy gum for all them cattle to chew ?" Evi- 
dently the child recognized the similarity be- 
tween cattle chewing the cud, and people chew- 
ing gum. 

Foremost, and greatest of all demoralizing in- 
fluences, and which is so fatal in its effects, is 
that of strong drink. In the old "blue back 
spelhng book," Noah Webster said, "Alcohol de- 
stroys more lives than war, pestilence and fam- 
ines;" and doubtless it is satan's chosen instru- 
ment to ruin souls. After witnessing the rav- 
ages of intemperance for years in our country, 
and the efforts of the temperance societies and 
churches to suppress it, the total prohibition of 
the liquor traffic is now advocated by nearly all 
Christian churches and Christian workers. The 



104 bKt^lUHhb OF LIFE 

largest denomination in the United States has 
declared that "The liquor traffic cannot be legal- 
ised without sin, and we proclaim as our motto, 
voluntary total abstinence from all int)xicints, as 
the true ground of p3rsonal temperance, and the 
complete legal prohibition of the traffic in intox- 
icating drinks, as the duty of civil governments. 
That no person engaged in the sale, or manufac- 
ture, of intoxicating liquors, for the purpose of 
their use as beverages, can be received in the 
church ; and any person in the church who en- 
gao;es therein, subjects himself to disciplinary re- 
buke and punishment." When these Christian 
sentiments are embodied in the la>vs of the land, 
and the saloon is closed, then one of the greatest 
obstacles to the religious progress of our country 
will have been removed. 

Perhaps the most common and popular habit, 
among male and female, in North Carolina is 
that of using tobacco in its different forms. 
When Walter Raleigh learned the use of tobacco, 
from the American Indians, and introduced it in- 
to England, little did he imagine that the Anglo 
Saxon race, as well as the other races of Europe, 
would take to the use of the weed as they have. 
But people were not satisfied witfi smoking it, 
aiid tock to snuffing the powdered tobacco up 
their noses. How ridiculous the habit seems to 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 1(>5 

us, now that the i)ractice has ceased. It has been 
related that on one occasion the snnff-box was 
handed around in a little company, for each one 
to "take a pinch," and beinsf offered to a kind of 
a was: of a fellow, he declined it saying, "No sir; 
if the Lord had intended my nose for a dust hole 
he would have put it on my face with the other 
end up." But the latest invention has trans- 
ferred the snuff from the nose to the month, 
which is the "dust hole" now. 

But is not the use of tobacco now an evU ? 
Pehaps all who do not use it believe that it is, 
while many who do use it admit the evil of it. 
Some one in advocating: the use of tobacco says 
that, "nsed in moderation it acts as a pleasing 
sedative." But who does use it in moderation ? 
The general rule is, that the habit grows on those 
who use it, until they are in bondage to it, as are 
those who are addicted to opium and alcoliol. 
Many claim that they cannot quit it, and if that 
is so, then tobacco has destroyed their will power, 
and their moral agency. This idea seems to be 
confirmed, in the fact that remedies are now ad- 
vertised to cure the tobacco habit, taking it for 
granted that it is a disease, as is that of strong 
drink and opium. Here I have before me a popular 
and reliable newspaper with a full page of adver- 
tisement, headed "Don't tobacco smoke, and spit 



1(56 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

your life away," and offering '-No-to-bac," as a 
remedy. The following statement is also made, 
and though it may not suit the popular taste, no 
doubt there is much sound sense in it. Nearly 
every day the newspapers give an account of 
some eminent man falling suddenly dead at his 
desk, from heart disease. As a rule, no middle- 
aged man in active business dies thus suddenly, 
unless poisoned, and that poison in a majority of 
cases is tobacco. Meanwhile the slaughter goes 
on. The press and the pulpit seem muzzled, 
the majority being participants in the popular 
vice, and those who are not, seem hypnotized, 
and afraid to speak out. The Cumberland Pres- 
byterian General Assembly condemned the use of 
tobacco by a vote ot 113 to 23; and the Reformed 
Presbyterian Synod has reaffirmed its action, for- 
biddii]g any one to be licensed to preach who uses 
tobacco, and advises Sessions to appoint no Sun- 
day School Superintendent who uses the weed. 

Very recently the business manager of the St. 
Louis Christian Advocate made a visit to North 
Carolina, and writes up his visit here, giving 
some edifying facts in regard to the tobacco ques- 
tion. He says, "The devil knew very well that 
he could not come directly to the Anglo Saxon 
race with opium as he did with the Mongolian, 
hence he comes with tobacco, and through tobac- 



AV NORTH CAROLINA 167 

CO he reaches lis with opium." Millions of peo- 
ple are wondering why it is they cannot and will 
not chew any other than the "Star Tobacco." It 
is the opium in this brand which is sapping the 
virtue and virility of its victims. 

A few days ago we were in the ni an n factory of 
the most popular brand of smoking tobacco in 
the world, furnishing millions of victims on both 
sides of the sea. A large quantity of the ground 
tobacco is spread in a layer over a broad surface, 
over this, ground tonqua beans from South A- 
merica are then spread. Over on this is then 
turned a large hose, through which a copious 
stream of unmitigated New England Rum is al- 
lowed to flow, until the whole mass is moistened. 
This then is packed in solid bales to go out into 
the mouths and membranes of the multitudes, 
decoying them like charmed birds unawares from 
rum in fumes to rum in liquids. 

In the same city is a gigantic trust in the 
shape of a cigarette factory, yielding some of its 
stockholders hundreds of thousands of dollars an- 
Dually, and paying its president a salary of fifty 
thousand dollars. With much reluctance wc 
w^ere once permitted to inspect the gambling in- 
iquity of Monte Carlo. But this Carolina trust 
and iniquity, prohibits the entrance and inspec-'" 
tion of visitors altogether. This restriction, they 



168 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

claiiii, is to protect their pateiitn, but we have a 
Jiit^ei'iii^- sii?iiici('ii it is to protect their ] oisoiiF. 

HiUoneofthe most nauseating incongruities 
in the use of this weed, is where such a large 
number of young white women a,re seen with 
mops in their mouths dipping snuff. We were 
tohl of communities in North Carolina to which 
snutf is shipped by the car-load. What ii won- 
derful field lor lectures by the great hearted, 
brainy j)hilanthropic women of our land. Put a 
text book on the physiological effects of alcohol 
and tobacco into the hands of each one of these 
girls, and let no Christian woinau rest satisfied 
until evei-y young woman in the Soutli throws 
away her miserable mouth mop, and determines 
in soberness and clean liiiess to breathe the balmy 
air of our blessed summer land." Having given 
above wiuit tliis prominent Southern ]\lethodist 
minister had to say of the tobacco question in 
North Carolina, I will say that he is only par- 
tially posted. He seems to think that a mission- 
ary to the young women of North Carolina is 
needed, and perhaps he would be surpised to 
know that a majority of the class he refers to are 
already professors of religion, and members of the 
different churches in our midst ; and the snuff is 
not confined to the young women by any means, 



i^ NORTH CAROLWA 169 

and the habit prevails among wromen of every age, 
and partially among the men also. 

Perhaps the most rainous effects of the use of 
tobacoo are in the smoking of cigarettes, by our 
youngsters. Dr. Talmage says that '-fifty young 
men in Brooklyn have died from cigarette smok- 
ing in a single winter." Here is a request for 
prayers sent in to one of the city prayer meetings: 
*'Your prayers are asked for a boy of eighteen, of 
fine promise, but mentally diseased from cigarette 
smoking. Having escaped from an institution in 
which he was placed, he has for more than a 
month been wandering we know not where." 
Query. If cigarette smoking made an idiot of 
an eighteen-year old New York boy, how many 
North Carolina boys of eight or ten years, now 
smoking cigarettes, will be made idiots ? 

A Methodist lady not long since about Confer- 
ence time said she hoped "that the preacher sent 
them would be one who did not use tobacco, for 
the sake of her boy, as she had taught him that 
it was wrong to use it." 

The influence of the total abstainers from liq- 
uor and tobacco is no doubt counteracted by ex- 
ample of those of prominence and influence who 
claim to use these things in moderation. The 
following statement of a prominent minister in 
one of the Christian Advocates is to the point. 



170 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

He says: "T had heard the Bishop address a claF8 
of young preachers, and among other advice urged 
them to forego or abandon the use of tobacco. 
I had myself but lately taken to smoking, but 
was so impressed with the Bishop's outlawry of 
the weed that I had inade up my mind to aban- 
don its use ; I passed out of the Conference room, 
and lo! there sat Bishops Soule and Andrew on 
the steps of the parsonage pulling away on long- 
handled pipes, the very picture of contentment. 
All of my good intentions vanished into thin air 
at the sight." 

I will give another illustrative incident on this 
point. Dr. Hamilton, a prominent minister, who 
had a perfect hatred of the pipe or cigar, was at a 
dining in company with a number of lawyers, 
statesmen, and ministers, and after dinner the 
host handed around Havanas, and proffered one 
to Dr. H., who drew himself up, saying, "No, sir, 
I'm a member of the Methodist Church, and a 
minister of the gospel." There was silence, and 
some inveterate smokers declined cigars, but the 
painful pause was broken by Bishop Soule, ex- 
tending his withered hand to take one, and look- 
ing full at Dr. H., saying, "So am I, sir, and was 
before you were born." What would now be 
tliought of a pair of bishops pipe smoking in a 
public place ? 



m NORTH CAROLINA 171 

I will give an incident, the subject of which 
was one of our good old North Carolina preach- 
ers. He was a great smoker, and while he was at 
the house of one of his brethren, a youngster kept 
up a continual whistling, and at last, the preach- 
er, being rather annoyed by it, by way of reproof 
said to him, '-John, can you tell me which of the 
Apostles it was that whistied?" The answer 
was: ''I don't know, sir, but I reckon it was the 
one that smoked." 

This seems to be a day of imitations, and adul- 
terations in almost every, thing, and from facts 
brought to light it appears that there are stronger 
motives than ever for a reformation in the use of 
tobacco, because of the mischievous drugs used in 
putting it up, and the more mischievous effects 
upon the health of those who use it. 

The Wise man said that man was "made up- 
right, but he has sought out many inventions," 
and a poet has said ; 

"Since man by sin has lost his God, 
He seeks creation through, 
And vainly strives for solid bliss, 
In trying something new." 

This disposition is manifested by idolaters in 
multiplying the number of false gods. The 
Athenians had twenty thousand idols, and desired 
yet another god, and so reared an aJtar to the 



172 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

Unkoown God. In this country, thongh the idols 
have no shape or form, yet many prcictice spirit- 
ual idolatry in rendering supreme regard or 
homage to other objects than the true God, these 
objects varying according to tlie ruling passion of 
the worshiper. First, there is the money god, 
or god of covetousness, for the Scriptures repre- 
sent "covetousness as idolatry." This god is 
quite popular in our country, and those who wor- 
ship him are taught to obtain worldly goods by 
many acts of fraud, and dishonesty, extortion, 
robbery, «&c. There is a motto on our silver dol- 
lar, as most of us know, "In God we trust." Is 
not this a huge joke ? Heathens who haven't 
seen one of these dollars, might suppose them to 
be simply images of the god we worship in this 
country. 

Then there is the pleasure god, who dictates to 
his worshipers the different kinds of carnal en- 
joyment, such as licentiousness, and indulgence 
in popular amusements of the day. And near of 
kin to this is the fashion god. This god issues 
his orders from Paris and New York to his vota- 
ries, and the first lesson he teaches is, that "you 
had just as well be out of the world as out of the 
fashion." He fixes the standard of what is eti- 
quette, style, and fashion in dress. All who con- 
form to the demands of fashion in these things - 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 173 

without regard to decency, economy or health, are 
worsbipirs of this god. 

The Society woman who obeys the dictates of 
fashion, without regard to the laws of modesty 
and decency, as well as the precepts of the Ts'evv 
Testament, proves that she is a worshiper of the 
fashion god, and is as truly an idolater as the 
woman of China or India who bows down to a 
visible image of her god. And in the land of 
idols there is the difference, the women there 
would not be allowed such an exposure of their 
persons before the public as is allowed in fash- 
ionable society in this Christian country. It is 
doubtful if the devil could invent anything more 
absurd and unnatural in the way of dress, than 
that of a woman with the upper part of her body 
entirely naked, and below her heels a yard or two 
of her dress goods dragging the ground. 

An old lady friend of mine once told me that 
in her girl-hood days she saw a picture represent- 
ing "Fashion, and the Devil." It showed Fash- 
ion as having hemmed him up in a corner picking 
at him, and teasing him to "just make her one 
more fashion," while the devil, being wearied out, 
replied, "0, I can't think of any more fashions." 

The question of dress is a very simple one. 
The Apostle lays down the injunction in refer- 
ence to women, in 1 Tim 1 : 9, which requires 



174 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

thetn to observe the rale of mO'hsty, lolainticss^ 
and ecfmomy. A recent writer in one of tlie 
Oiiurch Advocates puts it thus: "We Christians 
punch holes in our ears, and dangle bangle-^ on 
our wrists, and send out missionaries to tell the 
people, who are a century older than we, that 
they are heathens because they jingle bangles on 
their ankles, and hang jewels in their nises. 
AVhat is the difference between barbarians who 
punch holes in their noses, and put in jewels, and 
those who punch holes in their Ccirs, and put in 
jewels?" 

Let society and worldly minded church mem- 
bers plead for the fashionable amusements of the 
day, in opjyosition to the teaching of the pulpif, 
but the fact remains that they are demoralizing 
in their tendency, and much more so than they 
were a generation ago. The old fashion farm- 
house dance then was a decent thing compared to 
the fashionable dances of the present day; and 
the demoralization will go on among those who 
participate in them. The habits and customs of 
society in this day are certainly not favorable to 
female virtue. Let the record of those who have 
come to grief testify on this point. 

In a preceding chapter some comments are 
made in regard to the unjust sentiment prevail- 
ii^g in society, which requires a higher standard 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 175 

of moral character in women than in men ; and 
I am gratified to learn that since those lines weie 
penned, a jurist of high position has expressed 
himself in sympathy with the sentiments of the 
writer. Judge Wilson, in behalf of his client in 
the great Breckinridge-Pollard suit, made a plea 
for women, and afterward declared his purpose 
"to use his influence in favor of establishing a 
moral and social code, that will visit upon the 
oflTending man the same measure of condemnation 
that it visits upon the offending woman." Now, 
Judge Wilson has struck the right chord, and 
let the good women act upon the suggestion, and 
organize for reform, requiring of men just what 
the men require of them, in order to receive 
them as associates. Let the women do this, for a 
reform along this line mainly depends on them. 

Before closing these sketches I will present 
some thoughts in regard to the present surround- 
ings in North Carolina. It is known that the 
country is passing through, if it will get through, 
one of the greatest financial depressions of the 
century, while there are four political parties 
now, each one presenting their theories as a rem- 
edy for existing evils, and on the eve of the elec- 
tion meeting in combat their political opponents; 
and however the present contest may result, it is 
questionable whether any political party, can or 



176 SKETCHES OF LIFE 



will remedy the evils which we suffer. 

It is noticeable that more than one political 
orator, on visiting some towns to address the peo- 
ple, had to hold over on account of revivals of 
religion that were in progress, and may be it 
might be well to mix a little more religion with 
the politics of the day. To bring the country so 
under the influence of Christianity that people 
would practice the religion that Christ taught, 
would be the best way to remedy the Trusts and 
Monopolies, and to end the corner of the 
Pullmans, and all other oppressors of the people. 

If any one wishes to know why there is such 
demoralization of society, while the gospel is 
preached so universally, and Sabbath School in- 
struction is afforded to so many, let him take a 
glance at the secular newspapers of the day, and 
a number of them Sunday papers at that; then 
let him pass along through the principal streets 
of our cities and towns, and notice the character 
of the theatrical and circus advertisements, and 
other posters, and he can form some idea of the 
many "Schools of vice," outside of the church 
and Sabbath School, which will surely produce a 
crop of vicious men in due time. I will here 
epecify, and comment a little. 

A Sabbath or two ago I came up to the plat- 
form of a railroad station in one of our towns, 



IN NORTH CA ROLINA 177 

and witnessed the scenes of Sabbath desecration 
there. Outside of the work carried on by the 
employees of the covetous Rail-road syndicate, on 
the arrival of the train, I noticed seven shoe- 
blacks, five of them having a job of "shining" 
the shoes of the same number of white and col- 
ored **gentlemen," while the colored omnibus 
bosses were drumming up customers for the ho- 
tels. This is a specimen of the Sunday rail- 
roading in our Christian country. 

Perhaps the secular newspapers may be named 
as one of the principal schools of vice, portraying 
as they do the scandals, immoralities and crimes 
occurring throughout the country, and placing 
these things in a sensational manner before the 
youth of our land. 

Again, the glaring show bills of Peck's Bad Boy, 
facing the streets of our towns, indicate the fact 
that it is now being exhibited through the coun- 
try; and will not the exhibition of this "Bad Boy," 
as a hero, tend to the demoralization of our boys, 
leading untold numbers of them to imitate him 
instead of a good boy ? If so, then there is an- 
other school of vice. 

Then there is a kind of mania prevailing for 
certain kinds of amusements which have become 
quite popular, which in itsell is rather an indica- 
tion of their doubtful propriety. Take for ex- 



178 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

ample the base-ball and foot-ball craze. It will 
not do to estimate the merits of it by the opinion 
of those who claim that it tends to muscular de- 
velopment, &c., while the game is so brutal as 
to endanger life and limbs. This very day I 
copied from a poster the following notice: 

"FOOT-BA.LL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME," 

KICHMOND COLLEGE, VS. NORTH CAROLIN A. 

GREENSBORO:" ADMISSION 50 CENTS. 

By way of illustration I will quote from a 
prominent North Carolina newspaper, that sketch- 
es a recent contest between the University and 
Georgetown fool -ball teams. "When the referee 
had cleared away the debris, O'Brien's right cheek 
was badly cut. Guion and two others of his 
team had bloody noses, and nearly all of the play- 
ers were spotted with their own or some one else's 
blood." Query; what is the difference between 
the morality of such a game as this, and the bull 
fights of Spain and Mexico ? 

Taking the above as a sample, let us analyze it 
in the light of Christianity. Leaving out the 
cost of the outfit for the game, and the shoe 
leather that is kicked out, consider the actual 
money involved in it. First, estimate the amount 
of rail-road fare required to transport these teams 
from one city to another, and add to it the fif*ty 



TuSr NORTH CAROLINA 



cents for each individual of the crowds that go to 
see the sport. Then consider, that while every 
man is a steward of God, and accountable to him 
for the use of his money, all of this money is 
worse than wasted, while millions of our race are 
in the darkness of heathenism, and men are ready 
to go as missionaries, but the church has not mon- 
ey to send them ; and money is needed also for oth- 
er benevolent causes at home. And in view of 
the fact that the. apostle has laid upon us the in- 
junction that, "whether we eat or drink, or what- 
soever we do," we are to "do all to the glory of 
God," let each individual man, and especially 
every professing Christian, who engages in these 
sports, inquire if the divine sentence is not appli- 
cable to them, "Thou art weighed in the balances, 
and art found wanting?" 

As the reader will see, I have chosen to refer to 
myself as /, and not ive, as is the editorial style of 
many writers ; and as these sketches contain 
Bome autobiography, and a number of incideats 
in which I was a prominent actor, I have neces- 
sarily used the persor:al pronoun pretty often, yet 
I hope my writing does not contain so many big 
I's that the printer will be put to it to find 
enough of them to set up in type my manu- 
script. 
. In my autobiographical sketches I have not 



180 SKETCHES OP LIFE 

gone back far enough to take in my boyhood 
pranks. If I had done so, perhaps the reader 
would have concluded that I did not belong to 
that class of young ones that were so good they 
didn't live, and were taken away out of this sin- 
ful world, but would regard me rather as a spec- 
imen of Peck's Bad Boy, and as I have advanced 
the idea in the preceding pages that such things 
have a demoralizing tendency, I have not gone so 
far back in my individual career. 

In concluding these sketches I may say, that 
perhaps the views I have expressed in regard to 
some moral questions may not be in agreement 
with the ideas of some, and may invoke criticism; 
and I will give an illustrative incident, and make 
an application. A prominent minister was 
preaching a doctrinal sermon, and he advanced 
an idea that was not in agreement with the creed 
of an old lady who sat before him, and she show- 
ed her dissent by an audible grunt. The preach- 
er went on, and when he advanced another idea 
in the same line she gave a louder griuit, and all 
this time the preacher held his peace, but when 
for the third time the old lady gave a still louder 
grunty the preacher paused, and pointing his fin- 
ger straight at the offender, he said, "Sister, did I 
hurt you f^ Now, as to the application : If any 
of my readers, on reading anything I have writ- 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 181 

ten, should give a grunt, I will say, did I hurt 
you ? Or in other words, did I hit you ? 

And now, being conscious that my writing, 
upon the whole, has been in the interest of truth, 
and in the light of the Holy Scriptures, I "com- 
mend it to every man's conscience in the sight of 
God." 



AF^F^RMIDIX. 



Note. — When the preceding sketches were com- 
menced, the idea of adding an Appendix had not been 
entertained, but was an after-thou2:ht. The subject 
certainly is an important one, involving the destiny of 
our country. I have no apology to offer any one, not 
even the despot at Rome. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Romish hierarchy identified as the great Anti- 
Christ of Revelation — The whole system shown 
from the Scriptures to be false — Its intolerance 
and persecutions. 

^ PROMINENT religious journal recently 
quoted a noted Protestant D. D. as saying, 
that if we should attack Romanism it might give 
Romanists occasion to say that they were being per- 
eecuted ; and he condemned the idea of "fighting 
the devil with fire." But I beg leave to dissent 
from the Rev. Doctor. As "the devil is a liar, and 
the father of lies," we may surely fight his lies with 
the weapon of God's truth. Christianity em- 
braces aggressive warfare, and as I believe that 
Romanism embraces the "doctrines of devils," I 
feel as much authorized to attack it as I would 
any other machinery the devil has put in opera- 
tion to deceive and mislead mankind. Luther, 
Calvin, Knox, and other reformers fought it, and 
Ve may do the same wherever it may exist. And 
especially is it timely to do so now, while these 
enemies of our country and of our Protestant 
Christianity, are working in the dark to under- 
mine our institutions. 

Romanism claims for the pope universal do- 
minion, and that he has authority given him 
from heaven over all ecclesiastical and civil 



m NORTH CAROLINA 185 

powers. It is professeuly intolerant, and persecu- 
tion, as a matter of course, follows, and wherever 
it dominates, punishes as heretics those who re- 
fuse to receive its dogmas. And mark it, what 
Romanism has done in other countries, it will do 
here, in our country, when it can get control of 
the secular power. 

Now I invite the reader to follow me, Bible in 
hand, in my exposition of the Scriptures, identi- 
fying the papacy as the great An ti -Christ. St. 
Jolin in his vision, recorded in the 17th chapter 
of Revelation, "Saw a woman sitting on a scarlet 
colored beast, whose name was called 'mystery,* 
Babylon the great, the mother of Harlots, and 
abominations of the earth ; and mark it, that the 
angel who showed John these things,' in explana- 
tion of the vision, stated that the woman "was 
that great city which reigneth over the kings of 
the earth." See verse 18. What city did reign 
supreme, at that day ? Answer, Rome, which 
was called the mistress of the world. 2 That the 
seven heads of the beast were "seven mountains on 
which the v/oman sitteth." See verse 9. Rome was 
built on seven hills, and was called "the seven- 
hilled city." This fixes the seat of the beast at 
Rome, which has ever been the seat of the papacy. 
3 The beast "was full of names of blasphemy." 
See verse 3. Here mark the blasphemous titles 



1S(J SKETCHES OF LIFE 

of Romanism. "My Lord God the pope, and 
Mary mother of Uod and Queen of heaven" &c. 
4 The beast was "scarlet colored," and "the 
woman was arrayed in purple, and scarlet color." 
See verse 3. Is not the favorite color of the 
Romish dignitaries designated here? Whenever 
a cardinal makes his appearance look out for the 
'•scarlet cap," 5 The woman vv^as "drunken 
with the blood of the saints, and the m^irtyrs of 
Jesus." See verse 6. Here is indicated persecu- 
tion and blool-sl>ed by the womm, which has 
been fulfilled in the history of the Romish 
Church. See "Fox's Book of martyrs," and the 
history of the Reformation. In the "Massacre of 
St. Bartholomew" at least 80,000 Huguenots were 
slain ; and according to the record before me, 
there were put to death from 1481 to 1783 in 
Spain, under the different cardinals, arch-bishops, 
bishops and inquisitors 23,802 men and women. 
Besides these, there were put to death under the 
eecnlar power, guided by papal Rome, m less 
than 36,656, making a total of 60,458. These do 
not include the thousands put to death under the 
famons inquisition. If the blood of all these 
was not sufficient to make the woman "drunken," 
how much blood wonld it take ? 

I will cite some other scriptures as testimony 
in the same line. In Paul's 1st epistle to Timothy, 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 187 

he states that in the departure from the faitli, 
some would ''give heed to seducing spirits and 
doctrines of devils," and designates "forbidding 
to marry" as one of them. This is fulfilled in 
the Romish Church, which forbids the priests to 
marry. See 1 Tim. 4:13. Again, in 2 Tness. 2: 
3, &c, ''the man of sm" is represented as "sitting 
m the temple of God and showing himself that; 
he is God." In the fulfillment of this scripture 
mark that the pope, sitting in the temple of God, 
claims universal dominion, and is declared to be 
infallible; and in the Komish canon law it is 
stated that he was called God, by the pious Cou- 
stantine, and he is also called "Our Lord," by the 
Romish dignitaries. 

I will refer to 1 Tim. 4 : 2. where apostates 
from the faith are represented as "speaking lies 
in hypocrisy," &c., and will point out some of the 
hypocritical lies, embraced in the Romish dogmas. 
1 That Peter was the first pope, and that the 
pope of Rome is his successor. This is entirely 
uascriptural, and false, for Peter never claimed, 
or attempted to exercise, any authority over any 
of the rest of the apostles, claiming to be only an 
Elder in the Church, among the other elders. 
See 1 Pet. 5 : 1, &c. On the contrary, on one 
occasion Paul rebuked Peter, and Peter certainly 
never issued any Pope's bull against him for it 



188 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

either. See Gal. 2:11, &c. The fact i?, no high- 
er order of the miiiistiy was recognized in the Apos- 
tolic Church, than that of bishop or elder. And 
how dare any man to call himself a pope, a cardinal 
or arch-bishop, and "lord it over God's heritage." 
As to Peter being the "head of the Chnrch," as 
Komanists claim; what a ridiculous sight it 
would be to see a man's body with another man's 
head on it. So it is a most absurd idea to tliink 
of any njortal man being the head of "Christs 
body, which is the Church." 

2 The dogma of auricular confession, requiring 
confession of sin to a priest, in order to receive 
forgiveness, making the priest the medium of ac- 
cess to God, instead of Christ. In fact, since 
Christ, our "One Mediator between God and 
man," and our "Great High Priest," came and 
made his one offering, and "ascended up on high, 
ever living to make intercession for us," no man 
has any right to assume the office of a priest; 
and so confession to a priest has no foundation in 
the scriptures. 

3 Praying to the Virgin Mary, and paying her 
divine honors, as the mother of God, &c., while 
neither Christ or the apostles ever intimated that 
we should make prayer to any besides "Our 
Father vvho art in heaven." Roman Catholics 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 189 

pray to other dead saiuts also, and also offer pniy- 
ers for the dead. 

4 Purgatory, represented as the half-way place 
between heaven and hell, where, they say, souls 
are detained, until the priest offers prayers to get 
them out. While this has not a vestige of scrip- 
tural authority, it is a source of great revenue to 
the priests, and not only do living Catholics pay 
for masses for the souls of their dead friends, but 
some, vvhen they die, leave money to be appropri- 
ated to paying for masses to be said for the repose 
of their souls. 

5 Transubstantiation, or the pretended chang- 
ing of the bread and wine, in the Lord's Supper, 
into the real body and blood of Christ, and the 
idea is assumed that thereby the priest offers 
continually the body of Christ, as a Sacrificr. 
Reader, did you ever witness the Romish ceremo- 
ny of "elevating the host ?" On certain occasion?, 
after going through the ceremony of making 
Christ out of a cake of bread, the priest takes the 
cake, on the end of a rod or spear, and from the 
altar, lifts it upon high above the heads of the 
congregation, when they all bow down and wor- 
ship that cake of bread ! : 

Besides these, there are other dogmas, or sacra-- 
ments, as they call them, such as penance, extreme 
unction, and indulgences, or the pardon of sin' 



190 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

before it is committed ; in oilier woi'ds, tiie seil- 
ing of permits to commit sin. If any one wishes 
to know the merits of this thini; let them read an 
acconnt of the times of Lntlier, when that grand 
humbug Tetzel piddled indulgenct-s all over the 
country. It may be said that in this enlightened 
day, and in this country, Romanism could never 
bn what it w^as in the old world, but wherever 
it prevails it will be practiced. Tt has proven a 
curse to every country where it has dominated, 
as in Italy, Ireland, Spain, and Mexico, where 
ignorance, superstition, and social degradation 
prevail. "Priest-ridden" is a significant term to 
express the condition of those under the rule of 
Bomanism, which tends to the impoverishment 
of the people, while it enriches the priests. 

In order to show what Iiomanisin really is, I 
will quote from their canon law, and also give 
the oaths which are taken by cardinals, bishops, 
priests, and those who join the Secret order of 
Jesuits. "Canon law section 9. That the pon- 
tiff was called God. by the pious Oonstantine, 
and that as God he cannot be judged as man." 
Section 10. "That as God he is far above the 
reach of all human law, and judgment." Sec- 
tion 15. "The civil law is derived from man, 
but the ecclesiastical or canon law is derived di- 
rectly from God, by which the pontiff can, in 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 191 

connection with his prehites, make constitutions 
for the whole Christian world, in nuitters spirit- 
ual, concerning the salvation of souls, and the 
right government of the church ; and if necessa- 
ry judge, and dispose of all the temporal goods 
of all Christians." Section 18. "The goods of 
heretics are to be confiscated, and applied to the 
Church." Section 20. "The secular powers, 
whether permanent or temporary, are bound to 
swear that they will exterminate, according to 
their power, all heretics condemned by the 
church ;" and a temporal lord not purging his 
land of heretics, is excommunicated. Section 27. 
"No oath is to be kept toward heretics, princes, 
lords, or others." Section 3L. "The pope can 
absolve from all oaths." 

Cardinal's Oath— "I, , cardinal of 

the Holy Roman church, do promise and swear 
that, from this time to the end of my life, T will 
be faithful and obedient unto St. Peter, the holy 
apostolic Roman church, and our most holy lord, 
the pope of Rome and his successors, canonically 
and lawfully elected : that I will give no advice, 
consent or assistance against the pontificial maj- 
esty and person ; that I will never knowingly and 
advisedly, to their injury or disgrace, make pub- 
lic the councils entrusted to me by themselves, or 
by messengers or letters; also that I will give them 



192 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

any assistance in retaining, defending and recov- 
ering the Koman papacy and the regalia of Peter, 
with all my might and endeavor, so far as the 
rights and privileges of my order will allow it, 
and will defend them against all their honor and 
state, and I will direct and defend, with due form 
and honor, the legates and nuncios of the apos- 
tolic see, in the territories, churches, monasteries 
and other benefices committed to my keeping ; 
and I will cordially co-operate with them and 
treat them with honor in their coming, abiding 
and returning, and that I will resist unto blood 
nil persons whatsoever who shall attempt any- 
thing against them. That I ^\ili, by every way 
and by every means strive to preserve, augment 
and advance the rights, honors, privileges, the 
authority of the Holy Koman bishop, our lord 
the pope and his before mentioned successors, and 
that, at whatever time anytlnng shall be decided to 
their prejudice, which is out of my power to hin- 
der, as soon as I shall know that any steps or 
measures have been taken in the matter, I will 
make it known to the same, our lord or his succes- 
sors, or some other person by whose means it may 
be brought to their knowledge. That I will keep 
and carry out and cause others to keep and carry 
out the rules of the holy father, the decrees, ordi- 
naces, dispensations, reservations, provisions, 



nV NOB TE CA ROLIXA 193 

api^stolic nianiJates and constitutiotis of the Holy 
Father Sextu "5, of happy memory, us to visiting 
the threshohls of the apostles at certain pre- 
scribed times, according to the tenor of that 
which I have just read through. That I will 
seek out and oppose, persecute and fight against 
heretics or schismatics who oppose our lord, the 
pope of Rome, and his before-mentioned succes- 
sors, and this I will do with every possible effort.'* 
I (Signature) then sent to the pope. 

Bishop's Oath. — "I, , — elect of the 

diocese, from henceforward will be faith- 
ful and obedient to St. Peter the Apostle and to 
the Holy Roman church, and to our lord, the 
holy pope of Rome, and to his successors, canoni- 
cally entering, I will neither advise, consent nor 
do anything that they may lose life or member, 
or that their persons may be seized, or hands in 
anywise laid apon them, or any injuries offered to 
them, under any pretence whatsoever. The coun- 
sel with which they shall entrust me by them- 
selves, their messengers or letters, I will not 
knowingly reveal to any, to their prejudice. T will 
help them to defend and keep the Roman papacy 
and the royalties of St. Peter against all men. 
The legate of the apostolic see, going and coming, 
I will honorably treat and help in his necessities. 
The rights, honors, privileges and authority of 



194 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

the Holy Roman church of our lord, the pope, 
and his aforesaid successors, I will endeavor to 
preserve, defend, increase and advance. I will 
not be in any counsel, action or treaty, in which 
shall be plotted against our said lord and Roman 
church, anything to the hurt or prejudice of 
their persons, rights, honor, state or power, and, 
if I shall know any such thing to be treated or 
agitated by any whatsoever, I will binder it to 
my utmost, and as soon as I can, I will signify it 
to our lord. The ordinance and mandates ot the 
pope, I will observe with all my might, and cause 
to be observed by others. 

"Heretics, schismatics and rebels to our said 
lord or his successors, I will to my utmost per- 
secute and oppose." 

I will come to a council when I am called. I 
will visit the thresholds of the apostles every 
three years and give an account to our lord of all 
my pastoral office and of all the things belonging 
to my diocese, to the discipline of my clergy and 
people. I Avill in like manner humbly receive 
and diligently execute the apostolic commands. 
If I am detained by a lawful impediment, I will 
perform the aforesaid by a member of my chapter 
or a priest of my diocese, fully instructed in all 
things above mentioned. The possessions belong- 
ing to my table, I will neither sell nor otherwise 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 195 

alienate without consulting the Roman pontiff. 
So help me God and these holy gospels of God." 
(Signature) Sent to the Komish Manager. 

Priest's Oath. — "I : ,now in the 

presence of Almighty God, the blessed Virgin 
Mary, the blessed Michael the Archangel, the 
blessed St. John the Baptist, the Holy Apostles 
St. Peter and St. Paul and the Saints and the 
Sacred Hosts of Heaven and to you, my lord, I 
do declare from my heart, without mental reser- 
vation, that the pope is Christ's vicar-general and 
is the true and only head of the universal church 
throughout the earth, and that, by virtue of the 
keys of binding and loosing given to his holiness 
by Jesus Christ, he has power to depose heretical 
kings, princes, states, commonwealths and govern- 
ments, all being illegal without his sacred con- 
firmation, and that they may safely be destroyed. 
Therefore to the utmost of my power, I will de- 
fend this doctrine and his holiness' rights and 
custom against all usurpers of the Protestant 
authority whatsoever^ especially against the now 
pretended authority and church in England and 
all adherents, in regard that they be usurpal and 
heretical, opposing the sacred mother of the 
church of Rome. 

"I do denounce and disown any allegiance as 
due to any Protestant Jciug, prince or state or obe- 



196 SKETCHES OF IJFE 

dience to any of their inferior officeis. I do fur- 
ther dechire tlie doctrine of the church of Eng- 
land, of the Calvinists, Hngnenots and other 
Protestants, to be damnable and those to be 
damned who will not forsake the same. 

"I do further declare that I Avill help, assist 
and advise all or any of his holiness' agents in 
any place wherever I shall be, and to do my ut- 
most to extirpate the Protestant doctrine and to 
destroy all their pretended power, regal or other- 
wise. I do further promise and declare that, not- 
withstanding I may be permitted by dispensation 
to assume any heretical religion (Protestant de- 
nominations) for the propagation of the mother 
churcirs interest, to keep secret and private all 
Iter agents' counsels as they entrust me, and not 
to divulge, directly or indirectly, by word, writ- 
ing or circumstances whatsoever, but to execute all 
which shall be proposed, given in charge or dis- 
covered unto me by you, my most reVerend lord 
and bishop. 

"All of which I, , do swear by the 

fclessed Trinity and blessed Sacrament which 
I am about to receive, to perform on my part to 
keep inviolably; and do call on all the Heavenly 
and Glorious Host of Heaven to witness my real 
intentions to keep this my oath. 

"In testimony whereof I take this most holy and 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 11-7 

blessed Sacrament oft he Eucharist, and witness the 
same further with my consecrated hand, in tl e 
presence of my holy bishop and all the priests 
who assist him in my ordination to the priest- 
hood." 

Extreme Oath of the Jesuit.— I, , 

now in the presence of Almighty God, the bless- 
ed Virgin Mary, the blessed Michael the arch- 
angel, the blessed St. John the Baptist, the holy 
Apostles St. Peter and St. Panl and the saints 
and sacred hosts of heaven, and to yon my ghostly 
father, the superior general of the society of Jesus, 
founded by Saint Ignatius Loyola in the pontifica- 
tion of Paul the Third, and continued to tl e 
present, do, by the womb of the virgin, the matrix- 
of God, and the rod of Jesus Christ declare and 
swear that his holiness, the pope, is Christ's vice- 
gerent, and is the true and only head of the 
Catholic or universal church throughout the 
earth ; and that by virtue of the keys of binding 
and loosing given to his holiness by my Saviors- 
Jesus Christ, he hath power to depose heretical- 
kings, princes, states, commonwealths and govern-^ 
ments, all being illegal without his sacred con- 
firmation, and they may be safely destroyed.' 
Therefore to the utmost of my power, I will de-" 
fend this doctrine and his holiness' right and* 
custom against all usurpers of the heretical or* 



.198 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

Protestant authority whatsoever, especially the 
Lutheran church of Germany, Holland, Denmark, 
(Sweden and Norway, and the now pretended au- 
thorities and churches of England and Scotland, 
and branches of the same now established in Ire- 
land, and on the continent of America, and else- 
where, and all adherents in regard that they be 
usurped and heretical, opposing the sacred church 
of Home. 

I do now denounce and disown any allegiance 
as due to any heretical king, prince or state 
named Protestant or Liberals or obedience to any 
of their laws, magistrates or officers. 

I do further declare that the doctrine of the 
churches of England and Scotland, of the Oal- 
vinists. Huguenots and others of the name of 
Protestants or Liberals to be damnable, and they 
themselves to be damned who will not forsake 
the same. 

I do further declare that I will help, assist and 
advise all or any of his holiness' agents in any place 
wherever I shall be, in Switzerland, Germany, 
Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, England, 
Iceland or America, or in any other kingdom or 
territory, I shall come to, and do my utmost to 
extirpate the heretical Protestant or Liberal doc- 
trines, and to destroy all their pretended powers, 
legal or otherwise. 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 199 

I do further promise and declare that, notwith- 
standing I am dispensed with to assume any re- 
ligion heretical for the propagation of the moth- 
er church's interest, to keep secret and private all 
her agents' councils from time to time, as they 
entrust me, and not to divulge, directly or indi- 
rectly, by word, writing or circumstances what- 
ever, but to execute all that shall be proposed, 
given in charge, or discovered unto me, by you or 
my ghostly father, or any of this sacred convent. 

I do further promise and declare that I will 
have no opinion or will of my own or any men- 
tal reservation whatsoever, even as a corpse or 
cadaver (perinde ac cadaver), but will unhesi- 
tatingly obey each and every command that I 
may receive from my superiors in the militia of 
the pope and of Jesus Christ. 

That I will go to any part of the world whith- 
ersoever I may be sent, to the frozen regions of 
the north, the burning sands of the desert of 
Africa, or the jungles of India, the centers of civ- 
ilization of Europe, or to the wild haunts of the 
barbarous savages of America, without murmur- 
ing or repining, and will be submissive in all. 
things whatsoever, communicated to me. 

I do furthermore promise and declare that I 
will, when opportunity presents, make and wage 
relentless war, secretly or openly, against all her- 



200 SKETOnES OF LIFE 

eticj!, Protestants and Liberals as I am directed 
to do, to extirpate them from the face of the 
whole earth, and that I will spare neither age, sex 
or condition, and that I will hang, burn, waste, 
•t)oil, flay, strangle and bury alive these infamous 
heretics; rip up the stomachs of their women 
and crush their infants' heads against the walls 
in order to annihilate their execrable race. That 
when the same cannot be done openly, I will 
-secretly use the poisonous cup, the strangulating 
cord, the steel of the poinard, or the leaden bul- 
let, regardless of the honor, rank, dignity or au- 
thority of the person or persons, whatever may be 
their condition in life, either public or private, as 
I at any time may be directed so to do by any 
agent of the pope or superior of the brotherhood 
of the holy father, of the society of Jesus. 

In confirmation of which I hereby dedicate my 
life, my soul and all corporal powers, and with 
tiiis dagger which I now receive, I will subscribe 
toiy name, written in my blood, in testimony there- 
of; and should I prove false or weaken in my 
determination, may my brethren and fellow sol- 
diers of the militia of the j^ope cut off my hands 
and my feet, and my throat from ear to ear, my 
belly opened and sulphur burned therein, with 
all the punishment that can be inflicted upon me 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 201 

on earth and my soul be tortured by demons in an 
eternal hell forever. 

All of which I, ,do swear by 

the blessed trinity, and blessed sacrament which 
I i\m now to receive, to perform, and on my part 
to keep inviolably ; and do call all the heavenly 
and glorious host of heaven to witness these, my 
real intentions, to keep this my oath. 

In testimony hereof I take this most holy and 
blessed sacrament of the eucharist, and witness 
the same further, with my name written with the 
point of this dagger, dipped in my own blood, 
and seal in the face of this holy convent. 

[He receives the wafer from the superior and 
writes his name with the point of his dagger, 
dipped in his own blood, taken from over the 
heart.] 

The following from a recent writer is to the 
point. 

"JESUITISM OUR GREAT DANGER." 

"The JSociety of Jesuits, one of the most cele- 
brated orders of the Roman Catholic Church, was 
founded by Ignatius Loyola in 1540. The reign^ 
ing pope Paul 3 immediately, by his bull, sanc^ 
tioned the institution. These minions of the 
papacy, are the sworn enemies of every govern- 
ment save that of the pope only, and that to effect 
the objects of their order they will not hesitate to 



203 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

profess any Protestant or heathen faith under 
the snn. They will obtrude themselves into 
public schools as teachers, and upon the rostrum 
as lecturers and preachers, assuming for the oc- 
casion a sacerdotal, or a citizen's garb. The United 
States IS the fruitful field for the Jesuits. Already 
they control all the principal cities of the country. 
They have organized many Koman Catholic mili- 
tary societies, ostensibly as United States militia, 
and they are officered by some of the most skillful 
generals of the country. And what constitutes 
the greatest source of danger to the country is, 
that Protestants look upon the growing power of 
the papacy with stolid indifference," 

And while these Jesuits have been expelled 
from Italy, Germany, and France, and other 
countries of Europe, and lately from Mexico, they 
are allowed full liberty here in our country, by 
the United States government. 

As the Romish system is false and corrupt in 
principle, it must be also corrupt in its adminis- 
tration, and its administrators. Let no one be 
deceived by the pious cant, and holy phrases, 
paraded before the public, such as *'Vicar of 
Christ, Successor of St. Peter," and ''His holi- 
ness," as applied to the pope, and "holy Father" 
as applied to "bachelor priests." 

History testifies to the crimes of Romanism. 



//V NORTH CAROLINA 203 

Take for example the inquisition or eclesiastical 
court, established to try, and punish heretics, 
which they call all who dissent from the Romish 
dogmas. When Napoleon marched his army in- 
to Spain he unearthed the secret chamber of the 
inquisition, and there found their machinery for 
torturing heretics. 

I will quote from a recent writer, showing 
what the inquisition was at Rome in 1849, when 
the revolution took place, and the pope fled from 
his palace. *'The doors of the inquisition were 
unlocked, and its hideous secrets exposed. The 
gloomy building stood close to St. Peter's Church. 
Through double folding gates of brass, was the 
passage into a large court, surrounded by build- 
ings set apart for the use of the inquisition. 
These contained prisons, with cells hardly large 
enough to contain one person. In each cell was 
an enormous iron ring, made to open and close 
with a padlock. This ring was fixed either to 
the wall or to the stone floor, and was intended 
to encircle the body of the prisoner. The walls 
were covered with inscriptions, in all languages. 
Some of these were dictated by grief and despair, 
others bore the impression of resignation. One 
prisoner wrote. "The caprice or wickedness of 
man cannot exclude me from thy Church, O 
Christ." Another wrote, "how much have I 



^ SKLTCUES OF LIFE 

suffered here." Another wrote, "I am innocent ; 
I am accused of not being a Catholic, but I be- 
lieve in the Father, Son and Holy Ghost." An- 
other wrote, "Blessed are they who are pf^rsecuted 
for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom 
of heaven." Another wrote in his bodily anguish; 
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." 
And may we not to-day, as it were, add our in- 
scription. "The noble army of martyrs praise 
thee." 

In the midst of the dungeons, was the torture 
chamber, a large vaulted hall of stone. Here up 
to 1815 had been the rack to draw the joints 
asunder, the pully to crack the sinews, the hiss- 
ing pincers to tear the quivering flesh from the 
bones, the brazier filled with burning charcoal, to 
roast the feet. Here had the Komish inquisition 
fiat unmoved, listening to the groans of the tor- 
tured ones, viewing their convulsive pangs, and 
turning a deaf ear to the piteous cry for mercy. 
•There is an awfully solemn future when, as we 
learn from scripture, God himself will make 
inquisition ^ov blood, and when he will say, 
ipeaking of Eome: "Reward her even as she re- 
warded you, and double unto her double, accord- 
ing to her works — in the cup which she hath 
'^filled, fill to her double * * * torment 
•and sorrow, give her. See Rev., 18: 6. ■'' 



IN NORTH C Alio LIN A 205 

As to the priesthood, and monastic institutions, 
St. Paul said, "A bishop must be the husband 
of one wife," and characterizes ^'forbidding to 
marry," as one of the "doctrines of devils." And 
he also said, "[ will that the yonni^ women mar- 
ry," and as Romish priests are forbidden to mar- 
ry, and youn^ girls are brought under their influ- 
ence in the confessional, those outside, as well as 
inside of the convents, the result has been, and 
no doubt will continue to be, that scandalous sins 
and in moralities vvill continue to proceed from 
the confessional an-l the convents. It is assorted 
that in Den's and Kenrick's Theology, the priests 
are instructed to ask young girls, in the confess- 
ion il, the most aemoralizing questions. If any 
one denies this, he is challenge! to produce thb 
books, and disprove the statement. 

Let us take a view of the monastic system in 
the light of the scriptures. Christ characterized 
his disciples as the "light of the world," and as 
•'•a city that is set on a hill," and how can anjr 
one fulfill his injunction, "Let your light s6 
shine before men," by withdrawing from the 
world, and secluding himself or hersdf in the re- 
cessc?s of a monastery, or convent. Young girls ar^ 
decoyed into taking vows, and entering a convent 
by flattering representations of the life of a' uun 
and after they enter there many realize it to he a 



206 SKETCHES OP LIFE 

prison, and am mg their keepers, bachelor priests. 
L^^t the number of "escaped nuns" who have 
given their experience of convent life testify. It 
pays to persuade young girls to take the veil, and 
enter a convent, who are heiresses, as one of their 
vovvs, as a nun is pivertij, and then their money 
is turned over to the holy Fathers. The follow- 
ing clippings from recent public itions are much 
to the point. 

— Closed convents should not be tolerated 
IN A free country. — Every convent in this 
land is a blotch on our soil, a reproach on our 
institutions. They are tombs of the living, not 
of the dead. The man who assists in the cere- 
mony of burying a young heart in one of these 
frightful holes commits a crime against humani- 
ty. We burn with hot indignation at the pict- 
ure! Tile world's pity should go with the poor, 
deluded being who offers up her young heart, its 
great lovings and cravings unknown to herself, 
and goes with her priest to a willing dungeon — to 
a fate which is as dark as night, but after she 
has been there a year the world's jujtice should 
go and find out if she wishes to escape from her 
jailor. If there is in this land a house not under 
lawful supervision which an inmate cannot leave 
when she wishes to, the doors of that house 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 207 

should be opened by the hand of the law or its 
walls torn down. 

We have been moved to write the above by 
reading the account of the escape of a girl seven- 
teen years old from St. Ann's Home in New York 
City. The girl risked her life to escape from the 
place, which had become intolerable to her. She 
made a rope of sheets and blankets and lowered' 
herself to the ground from an upper window. 

Why should we allow ecclesiastics to keep young 
women shut up in houses against their will ? If 
these persons are criminals, then the state should 
care for them ; if they are not, it is a crime to 
deprive them of liberty and should be punished 
severely. Too many cases like this come under' 
our eye not to take notice of them. Our country 
is disgraced by every convent on its soil. It is 
time they were abolished by law. 

If the Roman Catholic church wishes to estab-' 
lish houses for aged women who are homeless, 
friendless, tired of life's struggles and sick of its 
vices and its wrongs, let it do so, but there is no 
charity in building houses in which to imprison ' 
young, handsome and talented women, who are \ 
allowed to see no man but a priest, and who pass 
their lives in doinoj — no one outside of the con- 
vent walls knows what. We do not believe that 



208 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

a convent would ever be built if prieats were ex- 
cluded from their doors. 

When the Italian convents were opened to the 
world by Garabaldi, all doubts as to the state- 
ments of ex-nuns and ex-priests must have been 
swept away. Indisputable evidence upon indis- 
putable evidence has be^n added, until it is 
proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that the 
j^rossf^st immorality exists behind the Indted and 
barred doors of those so called holy edifices. 

It is a notorious fact that popes have been 
charged with the grossest crimes. Abbott in his 
history of Christianity says that the leading car- 
dinals, arch-bishops, and bishops appointed by 
infamous popes and kings, were almost universal-" 
ly irrilejjious and corrupt men." 

The Empeor Maximilian wrote to one of the 
leading men in the Saxon court, "All the popes 
I have had anything to do with, have been rogues 
and cheats." 

\ And as to the character of the monastic insti- 
tutions in Europe, Lym.in Abbott in his Dic- 
tionary of Religious knowledge says, "they had 
become, the hot-beds of profligacy, and vice." 
There was an attempt at reforming the monaste- 
ries, but "the begging monks wandered over all 
Europe, and they covered the country like swarms 
of locusts,*' proclaiming everywhere, the obedi- 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 209 

ence due to the holy mother church, the rever- 
ence to the saints, — and more especially to the 
Virgin Mary — the efficacy of relics, the torments 
of purgatory, and the blessed advantage arising 
from indulgences. The profligacy and deep- 
seated corruption of the monastic institutions, 
had now reached its height; and at this point in 
the history of monachism the Reformation burst 
upon the world." See Dictionary of Religious 
Knowledge, under the head of Monnchism. 

And since the Reformation, where Romanism 
has ruled, how much better are these monastic 
institutions? When Napoleon raided the con- 
vents and monasteries of Europe, he found evi- 
dences enough of the hidden corruptions within, 
even murder, and infanticide. The enforced celi- 
bacy of the priests, the confessional, and the mo- 
nastic system being unscriptural and false, will 
always, and everywhere, produce licentiousness, 
and scandalous immoralities. I have the record 
before me of a number of such cases of recent 
occurrence, in the United States, involving Catho- 
lic priests and the convents, but which I will 
withhold, for the reason that it would make the 
reading matter not decent enough for my Chris- 
tian readers. 

Here I will call to mind a historical fact, which 
most persons will remember, that a very few years 



210 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

ago, the Catholic priest at Kaleigh, N. C, was 
sentenced to be hanged for a brutal assault on a 
young lady, the daughter of one of his flock. In 
the language of a recent writer, "Let a cry go up 
from the American people, and let their voices be 
heard, demanding an open investigation of all 
Roman convents." 

There are in the United States, according to 
Abbott's Dictionary of Religious Knowledge, pub- 
lished in 1875, 300 nunneries, and 128 monaste- 
•ries, besides 112 schools for the education of girls, 
and 400 for the education of boys; and this is 
believed to be far below the real number, as there 
is a disposition to conceal the actual work done ; 
■and while the term monk and nun no longer ap- 
pear very often in the Roman Catholic organs, 
monastic orders are as active and efficient as they 
ever were. The arch-diocese of Baltimore alone 
contains 21 convents, in all of which education is 
barried on. 

And what do they teach in these schools ? 
Here I will give some specimens of the Catechet- 
ical instruction imparted to the young, with the 
approbation of the arch-bishop of Baltimore. 
^'No salvation outside of the Roman Catholic 
church." Lesson 12. Question. "Since the Ro- 
man Catholic alone is the true church of Jesus, can 
any one who dies outside of the church be saved? 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 211 

Answer. He cannot." Question. "Did Jesus 
Christ himself assure us most solemnly, and in 
plain words, that no one can be saved out of the 
Koman Catholic Church ? Answer. He did, 
when he said to his Apostles, go and teach all 
nations," &c. Question. "Are there any other 
reasons to show that heretics or Protestants, who 
die out of the Roman Catholic Church, are not 
saved? Answer, there are several. They cannot be 
saved, because, 1 They have no divine faith. 2. 
They make a liar of Jesus Christ, of the Holy Ghost, 
and of the Apostles. 3. They have no faith in 
Christ. 4. They fell away from the true church 
of Christ. 5, They are too proud to submit to 
the po])e, the Vicar of Christ. 6. They cannot 
perform any good works, whereby they can ob- 
tain heaven. 7. They do not receive the body 
and blood of Christ. 8. They die in their sins. 
9. They ridicule and blaspheme the mother of 
God, and his saints, 10. They slander the spouse 
of Jesus, the Catholic church." 



213 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

CHAPTER II. . 

Romanism in our own country — More lis?ht turned on 
the subject — The pope in our politics — No real 
Catholic can be a true citizen of our Kepublic — 
Some historical facts showing the influence of 
Romanism over the United States Government. 

§j^N order to understand the real policy of the 
f^ Romish church, and her designs towards our 
country, I will give here the private instrnctions 
of the priests to the Catholic people in the United 

States. 

To OUR BELOVED CHILDREN IN THE FAITH : — 

In view of the pressing necessity for active, 
earnest efforts on the part of all Catholics to save 
our holy church from destruction ; to preserve 
the income and privileges which we of the hie- 
rarchy have enjoyed for a thousand years ; to 
maintain the absolute supremacy which is ours 
by divine right: the pleasure of shriving the 
masses who have toiled and economized, that we 
might live in peace and holy contentment; to 
continue to build fine churches and cathedrals as 
mural monuments to perpetuate our faith ; to 
preserve ignorance in tlie masses, and thus insure 
devotion ; to enable us to keep our vov.'-s of celi- 
bacy, with the aid of the confessional ; to pre- 
vent the loss of prestige and political power; it 



/xV NORTH CAROLINA 213 

bpcomes necessary for the hierarchy of the holy 
church, in these infidel parts, called the United 
States, that we may carry out the orders contained 
in an encyclical letter from Pope Leo XIII., our 
holy father, that we organize a political party to 
be known as the Catholic party, and that the 
faithful may not be ignorant of their duties as 
voters under this heretical government, we here 
announce and publish the following platform and 
principles, or more properly, 

ORDERS FROM THE HOLY SEE. 

Whereas, many Catholics in the United States 
have become careless in the discharge of their 
religious duties, more especially in elections, it 
becomes our duty to call your attention to the 
orders of the holy father, as expressed by Pius 
IX., of holy memory, in a letter dated December, 
1864 — also to another letter dated January, 1890, 
by Leo XIII. In these two encyclical letters you 
have the voice of God speaking to you, and with 
pain and sorrow we are by duty to God and our 
holy father, constrained to remind you of your 
duty to your faith when you vote as a citizen of, 
this heretical nation. 

"We also call your attention to the words of 
your bishops from time to time, the holy fathers 
to whom you must look for direction in the affairs 



214 SKETCHES OF LIFE 



of your lives. What they direct you to do, yon 
must do, if you hope for the salvation which our 
lioly church alone can ^ive. These holy men 
have frequently counseled you and commanded 
you to do many things which you have not done, 
hence we issue this manifesto to instruct you as 
to your duty to your religioti when you vote. 

It is our desire that in future you cease to act 
as Democrats or Republicans, only so far as is 
necessary to secure election to offije, or aid in the 
election of one who when elected will serve only 
our holy church. You must never forget that 
you are Catholics, that your first and constant 
allegiance is to our holy father in Home, and 
that this allegiance takes precedence over all 
others, and necessitates that all your acts, politi- 
cal or otherwise, must be conducted solely with 
reference to the supreinacy of our holy father as 
^he supreme spiritual and' temporal ruler of the 
world. Let your votes be cast as loyal sons of 
our holy church, and not as loyal to this hereti- 
cal-usurpation which has merited and received 
the major excommunication of our former holy 
father Pius IX., of holy memory. We enjoin all 
pastors throughout that part of the western hem- 
isphere called the United States, and mentioned 
by the holy college as [infidel parts,] that they 
read these instructions to their congregations for 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 215 

four successive Sundays :it every mass, and in the 
sermon explain and enforce them upon the at- 
tention and understanding of the faithful, and 
above all, to see that the line of duty deemed 
necessary by the holy father be strictly enforced, 
or that the disobedient be denied the sacraments 
of our holy church, failing that, they will be 
subjected to the "Major excommunication." 

We view with alarm the rapid spread of Amer- 
ican education, knowing full well that wherever 
the people are intelligent, the priest and prince 
cannot hope to have the same unquestioning obe- 
dience as from the masses whose brains have been 
fertilized only with our holy catechism. That 
in order to restore the order of things that made 
the reign of Gregory VIE., of holy memory, so 
glorious, the people must not think, that is a 
privilege that belongs only to priests and princes, 
who by divine right, are the only persons desig- 
nated by God to do the political and religious 
thinking of this world. 

We view with alarm the rapid diffusion of the 
English language. It stands before the world as 
the tongue which has for three hundred years 
ever been opposed to our holy church; those who 
speak it have been foremost in assailing the holy 
see. It is the tongue in which heresy delights io 
annoy and refute our theologians, in which the 



21(5 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

nioclern damnable heresies of popular rule, gov- 
ernment of the people, equal rights, personal 
liberty, free thought, free })ress, free religion and 
free schools, find expression, and endanger the 
rights of the hierarchy, and also that of })rinces 
born to rule. 

We view with alarm and horror the indifference 
exhibited by the states of the civilized world 
when they behold the sacrilege ajid impiety of 
the Italians, in taking by force from the holy 
father his temporal possessions, thus tlepriving 
him of the ability to levy taxes from the people 
of the papal states, also robbing him of the glory 
which was proper and necessary for the ruler over 
three million subjects. AVe must all pledge our- 
selves to never rest until the holy father is re- 
stored to his temporal throne, and those who 
have perpetrated this robbery be adequately pun- 
ished. 

We view with alarm and apprehension the 
growth of numerous American orders or societies 
i\\ this land. It is to us evidence that our meas- 
ures for quieting the American people were in- 
sufficient, that we have been too bold, did not ex- 
ercise that wisdom that many centuries of expe- 
rience should have given us. We learn that these 
societies will not vote for candidates of our faith, 
or even those who are friendly to us, hence it be^ 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 217 

comes our duty to take measures to thwart this up-. 
rising, which may result in our utter discomfiture. 
We therelore condemn, in strong terms, this ag- 
gregation of heretics in secret societies, and call . 
on our faithful brothers of the Society of Jesus , 
to send members of that holy brotherhood into 
these societies to get their rituals and other se- , 
crets, that we may print them in the daily papers 
that do our bidding, and thus expose them, that 
they may be shunned by the faithful, and injured 
in their business, reputations or families. We 
also call on the clergy everywhere to organize the 
laity, male and female, old and young, into secret 
societies and sodalities, and that the men and boys 
may have competent instructors to give thera 
military training that they may be prepared to. 
aid and sustain our faith in an emergency. 

That the faithful may fully understand their 
duty when they act in accordance with this plat- 
form, we here announce the laws, which every 
lay member of our holy communion is bound to 
obey, or be deprived of the holy sacraments of his 
faith: 

1. The holy father is the supreme ruler of the 
world, more especially in temporal matters where 
we have the votes or power. 

%. It is the duty 6i all Catholics to plan andj 



218 8KETCBES OF LIFE 

labor for the absolute supremacy of the occupant 
of the chair of St. Peter. 

3. It is the duty of all Catholics ^Ho take j^rt 
in electmis^^ and to know that ^^polUics are a part 
of morals. Politics are morals on tlie iddest scale" 
They must also give '^Perfect submission and obe- 
dience of will to the church and the sovereign Pon* 
tiff, as to God himself They must remember that 
they are to ^'acknowledge tvj civil superior before 
the holy father; that in their political work, 
they must always ani in the first place serve, as 
far as possible, the interests of Catholicism." 

4. We are opposed to any system of schools 
that teaches the youth more than the Roman Cat- 
echism, or that teaches the young to think — it is 
unnecessary, a waste of time and money, when 
the holy father has been deputed by God to do 
the thinking for this world. Therefore we call 
upon our subjects to do all possible to break 
down and destroy the free public schools of this 
heretical nation, which have compelled us to set 
np and maintain at great expense parochial 
schools to defend our faith, thus greatly lessen-, 
ing the income of the clergy. 

5. We are in favor of filling all offices with; 
men selected by the bishop of the diocese, upon 
whose political judgment all Catholics must rely, 
for the bishop ''must be obeyed whether right or 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 219 

■wrong'' [as Monsigiior Preston testified under 
oath], and this is law. The faitfiil can confide 
in the bishop, though he may in one county or 
city compel you to support the candidates of one 
party, and in the next county or city support 
those of the other party, but you must not hesi- 
tate ; he '-knows what he is doing," for in either 
case we get our glory and gain, and the holy 
church is the winner." 

As the Romish church teaches that Catholics 
may kill Protestant heretics we should not be 
surprised at any conspiracy or plot they may de- 
vise in order to carry out their ends. 

I will call attention to one case as a specimen 
of their work in our country, which doubtless ia 
not generally known, viz; the assassination of Pres- 
ident Lincoln. The charge was boldly made by 
Col, Edwin A. Sherman, in a public lecture in 
Boston, in which he gave a detailed account of it. 
From his statement, it seems that the hatred of 
the Romanists to Lincoln goes back to the time, 
previous to his nomination for the presidency, 
when he acted as counsel for ex-priest Father 
Chiniquy, in a civil suit, brought against him b^ 
his enemies, the Roman Catholics. After the 
trial was over he called on Lincoln to settle with 
him for his services. 

Mr. Lincoln turned around and drew up a note, 



220 8K MTV HE IS UF LIFE 

and hearing sobbing behind him, he said, "Fath- 
er Chiniquy, what are you crying about ? You 
ought to be the happiest man alive. You have 
beaten all your enemies and come out triumphant ; 
they have fled in disgrace, and you ought to be 
the happiest man alive." Father Chiniquy 
placed his hand upon his shoulder, and said ; "I 
am not weeping for myself, but for you, sir. 
They will kill you ; and let me tell you this, if I 
were in their place, and they in mine, it would 
be my solemn, sworn duty to take your life my- 
self or find a man to do it." 

Mr. Lincoln was continually in receipt of these 
threats of assassination from the time he entered 
into the defense of Father Chiniquy. He was 
continually warned from time to time, but at 
last, knowing that the opportunity was favorable, 
they could make use of the instrument, and 
Abraham Lincoln must die. 

Of the men engaged in that conspiracy, Dr. 
Samuel Mudd was the chief director. He was a 
Roman Catholic, as was also John Wilkes Booth, 
Mrs. Surratt and her son ; and in the judge ad- 
vocate general's office at Washington, there may 
be seen the Romar: Catholic medal taken from 
Booth's neck. A short time before that Booth 
had received, the sacrament from Arch-bishop 
JSpaul ding, of Baltimore, and almost identically 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 221 

at the same time the pope sent from Rome the arms 
and accoutrements in exact counterpart of the papal 
guard at Rome, and when Archbishop Spaulding 
died, he was buried with military honors by the 
papil guard at Baltimore. In this conspiracy 
every one was a R)min Catholic, either a Jesuit, 
priest or laym m, who m ide every effort to con- 
ceal it. I do not stat-e this simply upon my own 
authority, but refer you to the official report of 
the trial before the military conunission. Read 
it carefully, and you will find that all along the 
line it was for the interest of the C itholic church 
that even Mrs. Surratt should die. Her son, 
John B. Surratt, if he had been captured, W)uld 
have been hung at the same time, but he had 
gotten the horse for Booth to escape, and waited 
until he heard the shot. 

His escape had been prepared by Archbishop 
B^urget, of Montreal, Canada. He went there 
first, and returned to do part of his work, and he 
made his escape and was protected by that arch- 
bishop. He was placed in the charge of Father 
Charles Bougher of the parish of St. Leboire, 
Canada, there he kept him several months, finally 
he took him to Montreal, to another house of the 
archbishop, and there they kept him until they 
got ready to take him away. They took hirii m 
a carriage at Montreal to a small steamer which 



SKETCHES OF LIFE 



conveyed him down to Quebec, from whence he 
Siiilevl on the steiimer Pviruvian to Liverpool, and 
thence to Havre de Grace, and from there went 
to Paris aril K)me, and enlisted in the pope's 
boJy-guard. Kome now thought she had him 
secure, but through Father Chiniquy our govern- 
ment got track of him. A detective was put up- 
on his track, and when the pope found that our 
government knew where he was, he made a pre- 
tense of b?ing willing to give him up, but per- 
mitted him to make his escape;. But he was 
captured at Alexandria, Egypt, and brought back 
on the United States war-sliip Swatara, and tried 
in the court of the Dictrict of Columbia. It was 
a pity that the civil law had taken the place of 
the military. A jury that was never intended 
to agree was drawn, and this Jesuit priest, the 
accessory before and alter the fact, so far as John 
H, Surratt was concerned, had the effrontery to 
come directly from Montreal, appear in that very 
court and give this very evidence I am now giv- 
ing you ; and if you turn to volume 2 of the trial 
of John H. Surratt, you will find all that I have 
said to you to be the exact truth. The investiga- 
tion of this matter has been the work of years of 
the most patient research, and at an espense of 
thousands of dollars, mostly to myself and a few 
others. The hatred aojainst Lincoln continued 



liV IfORTH CAROLIKA 223 

after his death. Among all the tributes of the 
nitioQS of the earth, of societies and organizations, 
nearly one thousand that are bound in a book by 
the governmant, resolutions of sympathy and con- 
solation, that came for the American people and 
among them were some from thirty and more 
Masonic lodges of Europe, supposing that he was 
a Moson, who draped their lodges in black, in 
France, Italy and elsewhere, yet you may exam- 
ine that book from beginning to end — not from 
one single Roman Catholic society is there the 
first resolution of sorrow at this damnable act. 
Then, still farther, Rome determined to destroy all 
evidence, if possible. Her hatred goes into the 
ground. She believes in cremation from the be- 
ginning, but not of her own members, and to de- 
stroy the body of Lincoln she plotted its robbery. 
I had visited his tomb in 1876, at Springfield, 
Illinois, and saw the danger to which it was 
exposed, and there are some of us who have taken 
a solemn o«,th, (it rests upon us to-day,) not only: 
to perpetuate his memory, but to preserve his re-* 
mains." * 

' "It became necessary to keep a guard there, but 
notwithstanding this precautioii, they brokd 
open the sarcophagus, ran out the cedar coffin^ 
and were about to break into it when our friend* 
were at hand. The giiouls- were captured an^ 



2U SKETCHES OF LIFE 

every one Wd,3 a R»'nm Oatholic; they were tried 
and each sentenced to serve out his time in the 
etate penitentiary of Illinois." 

As confirmatory of the above statements, Wal- 
ter Sims, in a lecture in Chicay:o, affirmed that 
"when young Surratt escaped, he went to Rome, 
where he was received, and when found by tlie 
American officers, was a member of the papal 
guards. Then when on trial at Washington, the 
priests sat with him, staring the jury in the face ; 
a*id the students of the Jesuit college there, sur- 
rounded him, and said to the jury ; 'The Roman 
Catholic Church gives him her protection;* 
therefore the jury did not agree." 

There is one phase of Romanism that may not 
be overlooked is, the extortionate exactions upon 
the people for money, from the "Peter's pence'* 
collected for the pope, down to the money de- 
manded by the priests for baptisms and marriages, 
9,nd for absolutions and masses, &c. And not 
content with these burdens, put upon the living, 
the dead even are taxed also, and when widows 
are called upon to pay money for masses to be 
said for the souls of their dead husbands. The 
following notice from a late paper will show that. 
$ome of the dogmas of Romanism are not in har- 
pony with the civil law of the land. "Some time 
^go a prominent Roman Catholic died in Mobile, 



ly NOR TH GA li OLINA 235 

and befjiieatlieJ $"^,000 to be us id for the masses 
for his soul." Toe court held the bi-quest void, 
bec.iiise there was no liviiii^ benefioiary of the 
trust endeavored to be created, the soul not be-. 
\n^ an entity in contemplation of the law." 

I will now Cill attention to the indisputable 
fact that the p )pe is in the politics of this coun- 
try. The lecturer quoted above well says that 
*'The whole R nn.in Catholic church is moved by 
a button, which is pressed in Konie. The pope 
presses the button, and the cardinals are moved ; 
tne cardinals press the buttons and the bishops 
are moved, and so with the priests, who move the 
p-eople; but the people have no buttons — theirs is 
sim^)ly to ob^y ;" an I as a result the Catholics 
will vote in obedience to the will of the pope, and 
of course he will require them to vote for such 
miu an I measures as will be most favorable to 
the Roman Catholic church. The Romish hie- 
rarchy is certainly the most far reaching despot- 
ism in this world. The statements previously 
made, as to the character of the Romish system, 
can be verified by reference simply to the highest 
dignitaries of the Romish Catholic church, some 
of which will here be given, as follows. 

That the encyclical letter of Pope Leo XIII., 
written to American Catholics November 1, 1885,. 
fiays: ''We exhort all Catholics, who would de- 



S36 SKETCHES OF LIPE 



vote careful attention to public matters, to take 
an active part in all municipal affairs an<i elec- 
tions, and to favor the principles of the church 
in all public services, meetings and gatherings. 
All Catholics must m ike themselves felt as active 
elements in daily political life, in the countries 
where they live. Tney must penetrate, wherever 
possible, in the administration of civil affixirs ; 
must constantly exert the utmost vigilance and 
eiergy to prevent the usage of liberty from goiui^ 
beyond the limits of God's fixed laws. All 
Catholics should do all in their power to 

CAUSE the CONSTITUTION'S OF STATES, AND LEG- 
ISLATION TO BE MODELED IN THE PRINCIPLES OF 

THE TRUE CHURCH. All CatlioHc writers and 
journalists should never lose, for an instant, from 
view, the above prescriptions. 

"It is not lawful to follow one rule in private 
conduct and another in the government of state, 
to wit : That the authority of the church should 
be observed in private life but rejected in state 
matters. The Roman Cliurcli has the right to ex- 
ercise its a/uthority without any limit set to it by 
the civil poivers. The Pope and the priests ought 
to have dominion over temporal affairs ; the Ro- 
man church and her ecclesiastics have a right to 
immunity from civil law. In case of conflict be- 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 227 



tween ecclesiastical and civil powers the ecclesias- 
tical ought to prevail." 

That Cardinal Manninfr, speaking in the name 
of the Poj)e, said : "I acknowledge no civil power. 
I am the suhject of no prince, and I claim more 
than this. I claim to be the supreme judge and 
director of the conscience of men, of the peasants 
tiiat till the field and of the princes that sit up- 
on the throne ; of the household that lives in the 
shades of privacy, and the legislature that makes 
laws for kingdoms. I am the sole, last, supreme, 
jud<^e of what is right or wrong." 

That from 1855 to 1880 the Jesuits were driv- 
en from almost every civilized country on the 
globe, except from the United States, where they 
are now gradually weaving a net-work of their 
schemes from Maine to California, and from the 
Gulf to the interior of Canada. 

That Pope, Pius IX., December 8th, 1864, said: 
"The Catholic religion, with all its voters, ought 
to be exclusively dominant, in such sort, that 
every other worship should be banished and in- 
terdicted." He also said : "The church has the 
right to prevent the state from granting the pub- 
lic exercises of their own worship to persona 
emigrating into it." 

"She has the power of requiring the state not to 
permit free expression of opinion. 



22S SKETCIIhJS OF LIFE 

The judicial fuiictionuries must refuse obe- 
dience to the Stctre and to the laws of tlie country 
which are in contradiction with Koman Catholic 
precepts."— %//a^?i5 of Pope Leo XIIL 

'"But if the la.vs of the State are in open con- 
tradiction with the divine law, if they coniinand 
anyfchintr prejudicial to the church, or are hostile 
to the duties imposed by reli.ijion, or violate in the 
person of tlie supreme pontiff the authority of 
Jesus Christ, then, indeed, it is a duty to resist 
thf'm and a crime to obey them — a crime fraught 
with injury to the State itself." — Allocution of 
Pope Leo XIIL 

*'The Catholic relisrion, with all its votes, onght 
to be exclusively dominant in such sort that every 
other worship shall be banished and interdicted." 
— Allocution of Pope Pius /X, Siptember, 1851. 

"We can have the United States in ten years ; 
and I want to give you three points for your con- 
sideration — the Indians, the negroes and the pub- 
lic schools." — Archbishop Lreland^ in a speech at 
Ro7ne, 1892. 

"The absurd and erroneous doctrines, or rav- 
ings, in defense of liberty and conscience are a 
rnost pestilential error, a pest of all others to be 
dreaded in the State." — Encyelical of Pope Pius, 
XL August 15", 1854 

"I hope that the Catholic hierarchy will be 



/iV NORTH CAROLINA 229 

worthy of this glorious country, which in the 
fuiiuv it will leligionsly rule." — ArMltlioj) ItyaUf 
of Phili(delphia, at the mimial dinner of tJie Cath- 
olic Club, Ftbriianj, 1893. 

"If Catholics ever gain a sufficient nunifrical 
nnijority m this country, religious freeiloju is at an 
end. tSo we sny, so we believe." — Editorial in the 
Shepherd of the Valley, official organ of Bii<hop 
Hughes, January 2fi, 1852. 

**No man lias a right to choose his religion. 
Catlolicisiu is the most intolerant of creeds. It 
is intolerance itself. We might as well rationally 
maintain that two and two do not make four as 
theory of religious liberty. Its impiety is only 
equaled by its absurdity." — New York Freeman^ 
official organ of Archhi&hop Hughes. 

"There is no other remedy for the evil but to 
put heretics to death." — Cardinal Bellarniine. 

"Protestantism has not, and never can have, 
any ri^ihts where catholicity is triumphant." — 
Catholic Review. 

"Let the public schools go where they came 
from — the devil." — Freeman" s Journal, December 
ai, 1800. 

"The Catholic church has a right to avail it- 
self of force and to use the temporal power for 
that purpose." — Encyclical 24, Pope Pius IX, 

"Roman Catholics must obey their bishops. 



230 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

whether right (^r wrong." — Thu>i strove Moimgnor 
Preston on tM ivitmss stani in JVeiv York. 

**A11 legislation must be governed by the will 
of God, unerringly indicated by the pop'^" — Priest 
Hecker, in the Catholic World, JiiJij, 1870. 

^'Religious liberty is merely t^ndured until the 
opposite can be carried into effect without peril 
to the catholic world." — hisho'p O'Connor, of 
Pittsburgh. 

Considering these sentiments coming from the 
highest Eoman Catholic authorities, we cannot 
doubt what are the designs of the Romish Church 
toward our country, and what would be our con- 
dition should Romanism dominate here. 

So it is not a matter of surprise that the pope 
of Rome should have the impudence to establish 
himself at the capital of our nation, in the person 
of the Italian Satolli. And here is his commis- 
sion. 

"We command all whom it concerns to recog- 
nize in you (Francisco Satolli) as apostolic dele- 
gate, the supreme power of the delegating pontiff: 
we command that they give you aid. concurrence^ 
and obedience in all things, that they receive 
with reverence your salutary admonitions and 
orders. Whatever sentence or penalty yon shall 
duly declare or inflict against those who oppose 
our authority, we will ratify, and, with the au- 



IJSr NORTH CAUOLINA 231 

thority given us by the Lord, will cause to be 
observed inviolably until condign satistaction ue 
made." '^Notwithstanding constitutions and apos- 
tolic ordinance or other to the contrarij." — Extract 
fiorn encyclical of Pope Leo XIIT, to the Papal 
clersfy in the United States, January 24, 1892. 

Of course one important part of his mission 
here was to figure in our politics, which is clearly 
revealed in the following extract of an open letter 
to him, from Bishop Coxe of New York. 

MoNSiGNOR : Your appearance in our city 
last November, less as a priest than a politician, 
was the occasion of my first letter to your excel- 
lency. 

Once more I must remind you that you are an 
invader. You came among us in the week of our 
elections last autumn, an alien and an emissary, 
and made yourself a partaker in one of the most 
flagrant assaults upon our civil rights, and our 
domestic peace, that has ever disgraced American 
history. 

The subversion of our municipal charter had 
culminated in the corruption of the shrievalty; 
in the appointment of ruffians as deputy sheriffs 
and policemen, to deprive honest Americans of 
franchise and to give it to aliens, by the brow- 
beating and violence of mock magistrates, under 
forms of law. Among partisans of this sort you 



•232 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

and your satellites were cnnsj>icuons. Of such 
'•political workers," the cliiet* offender was your 
orator and henchman. You were introduced as 
his ally; and in a city smarting with the wounds 
he had infiicted, you read us a lectnre on our 
Constitution, as you and he understand it ; atid 
you also dilated upon the character of our Wash- 
ington, displaying your ignorance of both these 
important matters, as also of the language in 
which the Constitution is written. 

Emboldened by that day's work, and not 
'ashamed, you proceeded without delay to ])ro- 
blaim your policy with reference to our public 
schools. I was amazed that no public man re- 
monstrated, when, after such interference with 
American institutions, you announced your per- 
munent residence in Washington, as if you were 
an accredited ambassador, assuming })recedeMce 
in the diplomatic corps. You were, in diplomatic 
terms, 'a jyersona non grata to the patriotic senti- 
ment of the whole nation. 

Unrecognized and unaccredited, you parade 
yourself as the lawful representative of a "court" 
•'which has no nationality to justify it in claiming 
ijQternational relations of any kind. You have 
not less insulted Americans of your own religion, 
by accepting a supreniacy over local dignitaries, 
^'which it is announced that no American citizen 



m NORTH CAROLINA 233 

will be allowed to exercise. You are simply a 
missionary of the Jesuit sect, coming here to prop- 
agate your intolerant ideas as I have quoted 
them, from the ''Pustet Catechism." I might 
quote them to the horror and dismay of good men, 
from the authorized "Morality," Liguori and the 
offensive teachings of the JesuiiS, exposed by 
Pascal in the "Provincial Letters." I have asked 
you in vain to refute me, if possible, by calling 
upon your "university" in Washington, to give 
us a faithful translation of the hreve of Clement 
XIV. He tells us, under the "King of the Fish- 
erman," what knaves and assassins Jesuits are, 
even among their co-religionists. I have also in- 
vited you to enlighten us by a similar translation - 
of the "Secret Instructions" of the Jesuit society. 
Of these instructions a learned friend secured an 
authentic copy in Italy, which has never been 
printed, and which he has placed at my disposal." 
Other prominent ministers, and others have 
used some very strong language in reference to 
Romanism, and I will let them speak for them- 
selves. 

The Tennessee Methodist speaks with no un- 
certain sound on the question of Romanism. It 



"We hear a great deal from radically conserva- 
tive Protestant papers about 'American Gatholi- 



234 SKLTCIIES OF LIFhJ 

cisii),' 'the libeializing effects (»f our institutions 
Oil lioiue,' 'the progressive and liheral wing of 
Rotnanism,' and iinich more of such nonsense. 
Thei'e is just enough of truth in these statements 
t) make tliem exceedingly dangerous. Let it be 
remembered, always, that there is just as much 
'liberalism' in the Romish church as RjniaiiiMs 
are compelled to feign from jjiirelij political consid- 
cr.ftiojis — that in order to reach a controlling 
power in this or any other country, they are will- 
ing to seem to make almost any sort of conces-' 
sions to the spirit of the age, and to the institu- 
tions which surround them. But once in power 
they quickly cast off all such masks, and we find 
the same old relentles-^, sleepless f)e to free gov- 
ernment, which has sought dominion for long 
ag^s— the saiii repr>fssing, stifling, blighting in- 
fluence, which seeks to check human progress, 
and remand proud civilizations back to the cru- 
dities and darkness of niedievalism. 

"In arts of deception she always excelled.- 
There are no limitations to her lengths in this' 
nefarious practice, for one of the cardinal princi- 
ples on wliich she operates is that 'tlie end justi- 
fies the means' — a principle as base and as de- 
structive of righteousness, and as fruitful ofdia- 
bolicism of all sorts, as Satan could possibly de- 
sire. " 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 23a' 

"It is p.iinfiil, indeed, to witness the number uf 
Protestants who are duped by the Komish Ohurcli,' 
who send chihlren to her schools and talk glibly 
of her 'liberalism,' and fondly dream that they 
are toying with a thing different from the mon- 
ster which could produce a St, Bartholomew in- 
1572. The day hastens when they will le unde- 
ceived. When you patronize in any way, how- 
ever remotely, the Komish Church, you are aid- 
ing a sworn enemy to your own church, and- 
abetting a powerful and superbly organiz d re- 
bellion a'^ainst your Government an<l your indi- 
vidual liberties." 

. ^'Thid Ivev. Byron Sunderland, pastor of the 
First Presbyterian Church, at Washington, at. 
which Mr. and Mrs. Cleveland are attendants/ 
said, in a recent sermon : 

*-The battle with the papacy is yet to come, and 
may even now beat our doors. We cannot atford 
to have the functions of this government para- 
lyzed by the decrees of a foreign potentate. We 
are rapidly reaching 100,000,000 of people over 
an area of 3,000,000 square miles. Our nation is 
polyglot, foreign elements are multiplying among 
us, and there is one element which is palpably 
irreconcilable with the spirit and design of our 
iiistitutions, whatever may be the professions of 



S30 SKETCHES OP LIFE 

its more liberal adherents, and that is the Roman 
papacy. 

"All order of men is harbored among ns — men 
who have been expelled at one time and another 
from every civilized country under heaven ; and 
that order is the Jesuits, who are free to circulate 
among the people, and who don't hesitate to de- 
clare that this Protestant nation shall one day 
reckon with the Roman pontiff. We have had 
our battles on various vital questions in the past, 
but the battle with the papacy is yet to come, 
and may even now be at the doors." 

The Christian Inquirer speaks: 
. "When the people do wake from the long and 
guilty sleep, the public indignation will be 30 
great that the whole relations of the State to this 
loreign church will change. The time is not far 
away when 40,000,000 Protestants will no longer 
allow the 8,000,000 Romanists, led largely by 
foreign priests, taking their politics from Rome, 
to hold so much power and draw so largely on 
the public treasury as at present. The Church 
of Rome in America is overdoing the thing alto- 
gether, and the reaction is as certain as the rev- 
olution of the seasons. When the inevitable 
conflict comes, it will be short, sharp, decisive. 
Whether it be at the ballot box or in the streets 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 237 

it will soon end. It will be 40,000,000 against 
8,000,000." 

The Roman Catholic Church is not merely a 
religious, but a political organization, and the 
pope a monster despot, and the danger to oar re- 
public lies, not in the proselyting of our native 
born population by Romish priests to the Catho- 
lic faith, but from unrestricted emigration, by 
which Roman Catholic countries continue to 
transfer to our country "the dregs of their popu- 
lation," representing the lowest forms of illiter- 
acy, beggary, superstition and crime. And mark 
a significant fact, that "while the Catholics num- 
ber only about one seventh of the population of 
the United States, they have contributed more 
criminals, and paupers, than have been contrib- 
uted by all outside of the Catholic Church." 

And now, the question is not whether one or 
the other of the political parties of our country 
shall dominate, but whether Protestantism or Ro- 
manism shall prevail ; in other words, whether 
we shall enjoy civil and religious liberty, or be 
required to think and believe as a foreign pope 
shall dictate. 

I will here make a statement which ought to 
be a startling one to every friend of our countryr. 
No real Roman Catholic, can be a true citizen or 
this Republic. If he seeks citizenship here, he 



,2^8 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

1)1 nst take tlie oath of allegiance, and lie is re- 
qnired to make oath '-to renounce forever all al- 
1 'jiiance and iidelity to any foreign prince, poten- 
tate, state, or soverei;jnty, in particular that to 
whieh he has heen snhject." And as the relig- 
ion of the Catholic recjuires of him supreme alle- 
gifince to the y)o))e of l\ome, if he continues to be 
a Catholic, he lives a lie and will swear to one 
whenever it suits his purpose ; in fact the canon 
law of the Koniish Chnrch requires that "no oath 
is to be kept toward heretics, or Protestants,'* 
and that '-the pope can absolve from all oaths;" 
and so their oaths of allegiance to the government 
,of the United States is not worth the snap of the 
finder. 

The fact is. Catholics are allowed to kill here- 
tics, as a good, pious act, and mnrder or any other 
crime is justiliable in the ca?e of Protestants, on 
the Satanic princi})le that "the end justifies the 
means." So the religion of a cardinal, bishoj) or 
priest allows them to play the hypocrite or swear 
a lie whenever the interest of the Catholic Church 
requires it. And such is the class of persons who 
are admitted to the right of suflVage in this coun- 
try of ours. The statements made here are sus- 
tained by the facts, adduced in the preceding 
Ipages. 

It is a notorious fact that the government of 



IN NOnTlI CAliOLINA 2: 

New York city, by tlie Tamntany ring, has been 
under the control of the Koinan Cutholics, and 
tliat no city on this continent has ever exceeded 
it in the corrupt and criminal practices of its 
officials; and the outrages became so "[hiriiii^ 
that on the eve of the late election, the ministers 
from the ])nlpits exhorted their people to go to 
the ballot box atid, without re;:ard to any pnliti-' 
cal })arty, oust the thieving and black mailing 
criminals from office. 

There is no doubt that the Komish hierarchy 
have in operation all of ti.eir Jesuitical machin- 
ery, and are using tiie Kubtletij of the devU in or- 
der to establish in this country the despotism of 
Leo the 13th ; and doubtless the final conflict is 
fast approiching which will decide the question 
whether Komariism or Protestantism shall domi- 
nate in these United States. 

The Romish prelates are making war on our 
free schools, scliemiug to control elections, and 
are forming secret military companies, and with 
the hordes of foreign Catholic emigrants continu- 
ally pouring into our country, no doubt they 
hope for a favorable time soon to arrive when 
they can subjugate our country to Romanism. 

My attention has been recently called to a cir- 
cular addressed to the. people, issued by a nam-- 
ber of prominent citizens of Washington city. 



240 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

embracing several of the city pastors, and headed 
by the Pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church 
of that city. ' The object of the address is to urge 
upon the voters of the country the necessity of 
electing such men as our representatives, without 
regard to party, who will pass laws to restrict 
emigration, prevent the appropriation of thou- 
sands of dollars by the government, as has been 
done, for the support of Roman Catholic Indian 
Schools, and other institutions entirely under the 
control of Koman Catholics. 

And statements are made, which go to show 
that the Roman Catholics have a controlling in- 
fluence over the United States government. Be- 
sides the fact that Roman Catholics have been, 
under the present administration, appointed to 
foreign missions ; as postmasters in some of our 
largest cities ; as collectors of Revenue, and large 
numbers of them to office in the different depart- 
ments at Washington, the following statements 
are made in regard to the Romish hierarchy: 

"It has established in the city of Washing- 
ton a 'Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions,' an 
ecclesiastical political machine of the most offen- 
sive character. It is a standing menace to the 
peace of the republic ; it is run on the most ap- 
proved Jesiiitical methods ; it is unscrupulous. 



IJ^ NORTH CAROLINA 241 

It is orgaaized for public plunder. It dominates 
the Indian office ; it intimidates Congress and 
dictates to the present alministration of the Na- 
tional Government. It has taken millions of 
dollars from the public treasury, and to-day has 
free access to the vaults. The Indian bill now 
before Congress carries an appropriation of large 
sums of money for this papal pirate, in violation 
of the spirit and letter of the Constitution and 
against the form il protests of multitudes of citi- 
zens who are outraged and robbed by it. The 
bill will be enaoted into law by a Democratic 
Congress in payment of political services and 
with the consent of truculent Repulicans who 
barter principles for votes." ; 

^^That the majority of judges of our Court of 
Appeals, the highest judicial body in the Disr 
trict of Columbia, are R )mAn Catholics." 

I will h&re state some facts which were intro- 
duced in a speech before the last Congress by M£. 
Linton of Michigan, against the bill to appropri- 
ate money for Sectarian schools, which affords a 
specimen of some work the Jesuits are doing at 
Washington. The speaker presented vStatistica 
showing that during a number of years past the 
E)man Catholics have received from the goverir- 
ment more than three millions of dollars for the 
isupport of their schools, or more than all the 



S42 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

Protestant denominations put together; and in 
addition to this the statement was made that "the 
•Roman Catholic school at Devil's Lake was in a 
Crovernment building, and when the trainin;^ 
«chool was established a^ Fort Totten, the sister'a 
school was made part of the Government school, 
and the sisters retained as teachers under Gov* 
crnment pay. 

Now mark the action taken by the Protestant 
denominations of our country. The Gen. Con^ 
ference of the Methodist Episcopal Church o? 
1892, adopted the following resolutions. "Where: 
.a', the appropriation of public funds for sectarian 
purposes by the National Government is not only 
wrong in principle, but in violation of both the 
letter and spirit of the Constitution of the United 
States: Therefore, Resolved, that this General 
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
requests the Missionary Societies working under 
its sanction or control, to decline either to peti- 

,tion for or to receive from the National Goverj 
ment any moneys for educational work among 

, the Indians." 

Similar action has also been taken by the fol- 
lowing Protestant denominations, viz; the General 
Assembly of the Presbyterian, and the United 

-Presbyterian Church, the General Convention of 
the Prot. Episcopal Church, and the American 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 243 

Missionary Association of the Congregational 
Church. Besides these may be named 'the Bap- 
tist denomination, that has never accepted, but 
always refused, this public money for their Mis- 
sionary work. 

Now, in view of the fact that all of the leading' 
Protestant denominations of the United States 
have refused to receive any Government appro- 
priations in violation of the Constitution, leav-" 
ing the Government to appropriate hundreds of 
thousands of dollars to schools under Roman 
Catholic control, and while these Jesuits are 
entrenched at Washington, with their great Uni-; 
versity, and Bureau of Indian Schools, carrying 
on their lobbying schemes to influence legislation' 
in favor of the Romish Church; and while 
these facts were brought before the last Congress 
and disregarded, the language of a speaker waa 
appropriate if not prophetic, when he said : "I 
do not believe the Congress of the United States 
can long stand upon the ground we occupy to- 
day. There is already a gathering storm, and 
that storm may break before a great while upon 
the Congress and the people of the United States.** , 
And now, it is a historical fact that a storm has 
come, and swept away that Congress, and it has 
gone to "where the woodbine twineth, and the 
whang-doodle mourneth for his first born." 



244 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

"Meek-appearing nuns stand in the passage-ways 
of the Department buildings on pay days, and in 
that appealing manner known only to a profes- 
sional Romish beggar, solicit, with outstretched 
hands, contributions, the employees fearing not 
to give, lest, through the priestly influence behind 
the pollers in Washington, they should lose their 
situations. A whisper against the papacy would 
eimply cost them their positions. Watchmen- 
and messengers, whose foreign brogue easily dis- 
closes their nationality, act as ^cappers' and spies, 
and what they see and hear is promptly reported 
to the priest in charge of that particular Depart- 
Hient. The appointing clerks in the War, Navy, 
State, Interior, and probably in other Depart- 
ments, are Romanists, whose business it is to see 
to it that their kind receive the favors at their 
disposal. The same priestly influence controls 
the government of the Capital City to a danger- 
ous extent. The public schools of the District of 
Columbia are fast filling up with Roman Catho- 
lic teachers. Liquor licenses are freely granted 
io Romanists, who flagrantly violate the laws 
prohibiting the opening of saloons within 400 
feet of a church or school building. These things 
^re not conjectures— they are facts. 

"Priests frequent the lobbies and hang about the 
committee rooms like so many harpies, while 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 24t 

^Father' Stephari is seen moving around and 
button-holing members of Congress on important' 
occasions. -; 

"Rome orders the rejection of an American nom- 
inee for the Supreme Bench, and it is done. 
Cardinal Gibbons pays but two visits to the 
White House; a Jesuit is selected for that higH 
position, and is confirmed within two hours aftef 
his appointment without a dissenting voice. 

"Statues of eminent Roman Catholics are being 

placed in Statuary Hall in the Capitol building. 

"A statue of the Pope himself adorns the grounds 

of the ^American Vatican' in the District of 

Columbia. 

"The mansion of the 'American Pope,' Satollf, 
overlooks the Capitol of the United States. Ro- 
man Catholic soldiers, bearing arms, escort the 
Pope's Ablegate to and from the trains that waft 
bis precious person in and out of the city, upoa 
his missions thr;)ughout the country, teaching 
treasonable doctrines of supreme obedience to his 
master at Rome, while from the flagstaff over his 
residence or upon the grounds adjacent floats' the 
banner of the Papacy." 

That such a state of things can exist at th6 
seat of government of a Protestant Republic, iaiia 
that the interests of our country are placed ift tli^ 
hands of so many Roman Catholic Jesuits^ wb 



f46 SKETCHES OF LIFE 

must believe that partisan politics have become, 
eo corrupted that the Catholic vote Ms been bovght, 
and paid for! For further information I refer 
to Rev. Green Clay Smith, VVashington, D. C. 

And considering these things, ought not every 
Protestant voter to be aroused, and go to the polls 
bereatter, and vote for such men only to admin- 
ister our government as will not bow the knee to 
a foreign pope, and give aid and comfort to these 
Jesuitical enemies of ours ? 

In conclusion, it any one should dissent froni. 
Jmy exposition of the 17th chapter of Revelation, 
^»nd its application to the papacy, my reply is, if 
it does not refer to that great hierarchy, what 
does it refer to ? I challenge any one to name 
any organization on earth that has more, or as 
inany, marks of identity with the woman de- 
■ecribed as "sitting upon the scarlet colored beast," 
as does the papacy, or better fill the description of 
the apostates referred to by the apostle Paul as 
holding the doctrines of devils, and specifying 
jDne of them as "forbidding to marry." 
. And before dismissing the subject I will call 
attention to the fact, that the woman represent- 
ing the papacy was named "Babylon," and in 
Rev. chapter 18th is a history o^her fall, under 
the same name, and in the same figurative lan- 
guage. If this view be correct, then we may hope 



IN NORTH CAROLINA 247 



for the destruction of the great Romish hierarchy* 
God speed the day when the announcement shall 
be made according to his Word, that "Babylon 
the great is fallen, is fallen !" I submit what 1 
have written to my readers, challenging investi- 
gation, in the light of the scriptures, and of au- 
thentic history. Yet I have not used up all the 
ammunition at command, and can load up and 
fire a few more guns if necessary. 

P. S.— -Perhaps it is a hereditary thing with 
me to look with horror upon the Roman Catholic 
Church, as from childhood it has been associated 
in my mind with persecutions and bloodshed. 
My ancestors, the French Huguenots, were the 
subjects of her cruel persecutions. Susannah 
Rochette, the Huguenot girl, after the massacre 
of St. Bartholomew, escaped to Holland as a ref- 
ugee, being carried on ship-board, after night, 
concealed in a hogshead. She afterward married 
a French refugee, Abram Michaux, and they em- 
igrated to Virginia, Their son was ray great 
grandfather, and while their remains repose ia 
the old cemetery on James River, above Rich- 
mond, and while I live, will I oppose the intoler- 
ant and persecuting Church of Rome. 



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